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Canadian  Instituta  for  Historical  Microraproduction.  /  Institut  Canadian  da  microraproductions  hittoriquas 


Technical  and  Bibliographic  Notes  /  Notes  techniques  et  bibliographiques 


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a9v 

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empreinte. 

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d'images  n*cessaire.  Lea  diagrammes  suivants 
illustrent  la  m*thode. 


1 


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LIFE.HISTORIES  OF 
NORTHERN  ANIMALS 


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PLATE    XIAII.— THE    LEADER    OE  THE    PACK. 
Lifi-  study  by  Erncut  Thompson  SeKin. 
The  property  of  thi-  Sutc  of  Sew  York,  rrprc«iucid  by  courtesy  of  C.ovcmor  C.  E.  Hughis. 
Exhibited  in  Salon  of  1895. 


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LIFE-HISTORIES  OF 
NORTHERN  ANIMALS 

AN  ACCOUNT  OF  THE 

MAMMALS  OF  MANITOBA 


BY 


ERNEST  THOMPSON    SETON 

Natimlut  to  the  Govenuncnt  of  Manitoba 


Author  of 
An  Aaatomy  of  Aaimal* 
Wild  Animals  I  Htve  Kaowa  ' 
The  Tna  of  the  Ssndhill  St«« 
The  Bio«nphy  of  a  Griuly 
The  Uvn  of  the  Hunted 
Pictiine  of  Wad  Aatouli 

etc.*  ece.«  ete. 


1 


Volume  IL  Flesh-eaters 


WITH  68  MAPS  AND  560  DRAWINGS  BY  THE  AUTHOR 


Publithed  by  CHARLES  SCRIBNER'S  SONS.  New  York  CUy   ::   1909 


^iS.' 


ti^x 


QLl2  I 


GUELPH  Fl'-^^:-:  LIBRARY 

UOST,  I90( 


COPYRIOBT,  1909.  BT 
BRKBST  THOMPSOH  SBTOH 


Published  October,  1909 


CONTENTS 

TITLE  PAGE i 

COPYRIGHT  PAGE ii 

PLATES           V 

FULL-PAGE  AND  OTHER  ILLUSTRATIONS  .  vii 

MAPS xi 

LIFE-HISTORIES  OP  THE  FLESH-EATERS  675 

A  LIST  OF  THE  CHIEF  WORKS  CITED      .  I20I 

SYNOPTIC  INDEX                  1 22 1 


m 


1 


PLATES. 


Platb       XLvn.— The  lbader  or  thb  Pack Fmtibtite* 

itcao  »Aoi 

PLATE      XLVm.— The  Ltoz  at  bat 678 

Plate  XLIX.— Yomio  or  Canada  lthz  (lite  size)  ....  684 

PLATE  L.— Lite  Studies  or  Various  Foxes                      .       .700 

Plate            ll— foxes  Figbtiiio 714 

PLATE  LII.— The  fox  sprihoiho  or  the  piht ailed  Grouse  that 

HE  LOCATED  BY  SHELL  AS  IT  SLEPT  UKDER  THB  SHOW  736 

Plate           LIIL— The  First  Wmrr 730 

Plate           LIV.— the  Last  Glimpse 730 

plate  LV.— SCATOLOOY  or  RBD-FOZ   (all  natural  SIZE)                 .  734 

Plate  LVL— M.  F.  Stevens  and  Ore  or  His  Breeders               .  740 

Plate          LVn.— Youhg  at  meal  Tihe 740 

Platb         LVm.— Youno  foxes  oh  Fur  Farm 74.1 

Plate           LIX.— Youno  foxes  or  Fur  Farm 744 

Plate            LX.— YoxniG  Foxes  oh  Fur  Farm 744 

Plate           LXI.— Yourg  foxes  or  Fur  Farm 744 

Plate          LXn.— Gray- Wolf 750 

Plate        LXm.— Lite  studies  or  Wolves 754 

plate  LXIV.— Gray-Wolf  Scratchiro  Himselt      .                     .  ?6o 

plate  LXV.— gray-Wolf  Approachirg  to  attack                       .770 

Plate         LXVI.— Blarco  ir  the  Trap 774 

PLATE           LXVn.— LOBO  IH  THB  TRAP 774 

PLATE  LXVm.— THE  GREYHOURD  THAT  FOLLOWED  TOO  FAR         .          .  778 

PLATE         LXIX.— Blood  or  the  Trail 786 

Plate          LXX.— Coyote  Head 790 

Plate  LXXL— Coyote  Famuy— Hire  Pups— Thirveeh  miles  from 

Derver     .........  798 


II 


vi  Plates 

r ACDIO  fhOM 

PLATE  LXXn.— TBB  RELAY  CHASE 8oa 

PLATE         LX3Cni.— COYOTE  IH  SUMMER  COAT      .  .  .  .  .     8o8 

PLATE      LXXIV.— Coyote  ih  Wihter  Coat 814 

PLATE  LXXV.— COYOTE  DEH 8«4 

PLATE         LXXVI.— THE  DEMOH  OF  MURDER 850 

PLATE  LXXVn.— THE  LEAST  WEASEL       ....                                .858 

PLATE      LXXVin.— THE  MIHK .873 

Plate      LXXDC.— The  Exploits  of  the  Pet  martehs  .  .918 

plate       lxxx.— skitll  of  mephitis  hudsorica  (hatdral  size)       .   968 

PLATE         LXXXI.— SKULL  OF  MUSTELA  AMERICANA   (BATURAL  SIZE)           .     968 
PLATE       LXXXn.— A  SKUHK  FAMILY 97* 

Plate    LXXXnL— Skukks  Fightwo  for  a  Piece  of  Heat,  while  the 
Fox  judiciously  holds  aloof.    The  Combatahts 

DID  rot  use  their  MUSK 984 

PLATE      LXXXIV.— BA1>GER  studies  FROM  LIFE 1000 

Plate     lxxxv.— Skatology  of  certaih  mustelida    (all  hatural 

SIZE) 1009 

Plate    LXXXVl.— Iuccooh  Studies  from  Life 1018 

PLATE  LXXXVn.— Tracks  of  Raccooh  (life  size)        ....  1024 

Plate  LXXXvm.— Grizzly  Bear 1030 

Plate    lxxxk.—"  A  Harrow  escape  " 1046 

Plate  xc— Death  gulch 1030 

Plate  XCL— The  Old  Grizzly  in  death  Gulch  ....  1050 

plate         xcn.— Skull  of  Blackbear 1054 

Plate         xcm.— Aspeb  tree  with  marks  of  blackbear  climbing  io6a 

Plate         XCIV.— Aspen  with  Grizzly  claw-Marks    ....  106a 

plate         xcv.— bear's  sign-post,  much  marked      ....  i06a 

Plate         XCVL— Aspen  once  Climbed  by  blackbear.    Each  Claw- 
Mark  IS  now  a  bump io6a 

PLATE        XCVn.— Ontario  Blackbear 1068 

PLATE      XCVra.— A  Bear  Family 1074 

Plate         XCDC.— Scatology  of  certain  bears xo86 

Plate  c— The  Shrews  found  in  Manitoba      ....  1096 


FULL.PAGE  AND  OTHER  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


Kf. 

Fig. 

Fig. 
Fig. 
Fig. 

Fig. 
Fig. 
Fig. 
Fig. 
Fig. 

Fig. 

Fig. 
Fig. 
f* 
Fig. 
Fig. 

Fig. 
Fig. 

Fig. 
Fig. 
Fig. 


VAOI 

83. — Mastotogy  of  Canada  Lynx 678 

84. — ^Head  of  Can/ida  Lynx  in  Summer.     (Half  life  size)  .        .        .  679 

85.— Lynx  Talia.     (Half  life  size) 679 

86.— Feet  of  Canada  Lynx.     (Half  life  lize) 680 

87. — Right  hind  and  right  front  tracki  of  a  domeitic  cat  (natural  size) 

for  compariion  with  those  of  Lynx 687 

88. — Study  of  Kit-fox  in  Philadelphia  Zoo,  August,  x886  .                 .  703 

80. — ^Life  study  of  the  Algerian  Kit-fox 704 

go. — Impressions  of  a  Fox's  fnet.    (From  life) 7x1 

91. — ^Feet  of  Fox  (K.  maoeurm) Jta 

9a. — Side  view  or  elevation,  and  plan  of  the  Fox-den  opened  by  Geo. 

L.  Fordyce 716 

93. — Diagram  of  Fox-tracks   (by  6.  L.  Fordyce),  showing  approxi- 
mately the  tracks  left  by  the  mother  Fox  in  moving  her  brood 

from  the  hollow  tree  to  the  new  den 719 

94. — Fox-tracks  in  snow 7^8 

95. — ^The  Fox  playing  at  'boulder' 730 

96. — Life  study  of  the  Fox  that  attacked  the  Porcupine,  Colorado        .  735 

97. — A  model  Fox-yard.    Scale  50  feet  to  one  inch   ....  74a 

98. — ^Distant  views  and  ttharacteriatic  outlines  of  Gray-wolf,  Coyote, 

Fox 750 

99. — ^Tracks  of  large  Gray-wolf.     (Life  size) 777 

100. — ^Diagram  of  the  Coyote  Den  opened  by  A.  S.  Barton,  at  Boisse- 

vain,  Man 796 

lox. — Tracks  of  Coyote.     (Life  size) 799 

03. — Otter  poses.    (From  life) 838 

103. — Ottei  tracks;   from  caged  specimen  in  Washington  Zoo             .  833 


vUi  Full-Page  and  Other  Illustrations 

rut 

rif.  M4. — Head  of  Short-taUad  Weaici S44 

tig.  105.— Skulli  of  Sbort-tailad  Weaiel 846 

Fig.  306.— Skull  of  Short-tailed  Weaiel  adult,  from  Elk  River,  Minn.  .        .  846 

Fif .  207. — Skull  of  P.  rixouu,  the  type 859 

Fig.  ao8.— Skulls  of  Long-tailed  Weaeel 867 

Fig.  309. — Right  pawi  of  young  Mink.     (Life  lize)                               .        .  873 

Fig.  310.— Young  Mink.     (Life  lize) -874 

Fig.  311. — Mink  about  one-fifth  of  life  size         ......  878 

Fig.  3X3.— Mink  tracks 887 

Fig.  313. — Mink  poses.     (From  Ufe.) 889 

Fig.  314.— A  Model  Minkery 898 

Fig.  3IS. — Right  feet  of  Rocky  Mountain  Marten  (Af.  c.  orittna)                 .  903 

Fig.  316. — Marten 909 

Fig.  317. — British  Martens  rubbing   their  musk  on  projections  in  the  cage. 

(From  life) 9it 

Fig.  318. — Attitudes  of  Martens 915 

Fig.  319. — Marten  tracks 917 

Fif.  330. — Section  of  deadfall,  showing  trig^  .-set 931 

Fig.  331. — Front  view  of  deadfall  set  for  Marten 931 

Fig.  333. — Life  studies  of  Fisher 933 

Fig.  333. — Tracks  of  a  large  Fisher 937 

Fig.  334. — Right-side  tracks  of  Wolverine 963 

Fig.  335. — The  right  front  and  right  hind  paws  of  Hudsonian  Skunk  .  967 

Fig.  336. — Head  of  Hudsonian  SInmk,  from  Iowa.     (Life  size)  .  969 

Fig.  337. — Young   of    M.  patlJa    just  before  birth.    (Life  size.)     Weight   15 

grammes 974 

Fig.  338. — Mastology  of  Skunk 975 

Fig.  339. — Anal  scent-gland  of  M.  puiiJa  dissected  and  raised  to  expose  the 

rectum  (R).   (Life  size,  but  a  very  small  example)  .                .  977 

Fig.  330. — Tracks  of  Skunk 987 

Fig.  331. — Right  fore  and  hind  feet  of  Badger 999 

Fig.  333. — Badger  hole,  6  feet  deep 1003 

Fig.  333. — Mastology  of  the  Raccoon xoii 


Full-Page  and  Other  Illustrations  ix 

tiHOM 

Fi(.  334.— Pawi  of  Raccoon,  left  hind  and  Itft  fore.     (Lift  iIm)  .  1014 

Fig.  a3S-— Tnicin  of  Raccoon 1037 

Fig.  336. — Lift  studiM  of  Orizzly  pawi 1031 

Fig.  337. — Life  itudiaa  of  varioui  OrisiliM 1033 

Fig.  338. — Life  itudiM  of  Oriszly 1036 

Fig.  339.— Orizzly  poiM.     (From  life) 1039 

Fig.  340. — Montana  Orizzly.     Hew-bom.  (Life  liza) 1043 

Fig.  341. — Yoitng  Orizzliea,  3  monthi  old;   bom  in  Oolden  Oate  Park,  San 

FranciKO.    The  offtpring  of  Monarch 1045 

Fig.  343.— Pawa  of  a  large  Blackbear;  right  hind  and  right  fore.     (5iMini«r)       1053 

Fig.  343. — Qnaldng  aspen,  witn  Bear  claw-icart  grown  out  into  bumpe  j\ 

inches  long 1063 

Fig.  344.— Mastoto^y  of  Blackbear 1067 

Fig.  345.— Bear  poiea.     (From  life) 1076 

Fig.  346.— Print  of  Blackbear'a  left  front  paw,  made  by  driring  the  Bear 

over  freeh  black  paint  then  acroH  atrong  paper  .  1079 

Fig.  347.— Bear-track* ,085 

Fig.  348.— Head  of  5.  pmonatui,  to  iUuatrate  the  mask        ....  1091 

"f*  a40> — SkuU  of  Meadow-mouw  {M.  pmni/hmaeut).     (Five  timet  natural 

i»*«) 1093 

Fig.  350. — Skull  of  Cooper  Shrew  (S.  ptnanatn).     (Eight  timet  natural  tize)   .  1093 

Fig.  351.— Teeth  of  the  Longtailed  Shrewt  found  in  Manitoba.     (Magnifitd 

about  10  diameten) 1093 

Fig.  35a.— SkuU  of  Richardton  Shrew  (&rax  rkharJtonf).     (Double  natural 

•«««) 1108 

^^K-  >53< — %uU  of  Bltttbta  knckauJa.     (Double  natural  size)         .  ;  1117 

PiX-  >54< — ^The  furrowed  trail  of  the  dhrew-molc  or  Blarina       .  .1130 

Fig.  355. — ^Portion  of  Blarina  labyrinth  on  tnow 1131 

Fig.  356.— Bhuina  labyrinth  on  tnow.    March  6,  1907.    Cot  Cob,  Conn.  .  xxti 

Fig.  357.— Tunnels  of  a  pair  of  Blarinas.    October  6,  1908.    Cot  Cob,  Conn.  1133 

Fig.  358.— Diagram  of  a  typical  burrow  oi  fitortna  ire«<cin</a  .  .1135 

Fig.  359.— Blarina,  Cot  Cob,  July  33,  1904 1137 

Fig.  360. — Excrement  of  the  Blatina  imHeaada.     (Life  tize;  after  Shull)         .1128 

Fig.  361. — Skull  of  Star-noted  Mole  (Cmtf/aRi  cfMato).  (iK  timet  natural  size)  1137 

Fig.  363.— Hatal  Diak  and  Snout  of  Cmdgbna  ertttala 1141 


Full-Page  and  Other  Illustrations 


rtaa 
"43 


Fig.  a6j. — Seatology  of  St4r-noMd  Mola 

rig.  364.— Tht  BaU  found  in  Mmnitob*.     (All  life  tiit)      ....  1148 

Fig.  a6s-— SkuU  of  SUv«ry-lwt.     (Twice  life  dxe) 1167 

Pig.  367. — Left  lide  teeth  of  Hoary-bat;    two  views  of  each  row  .  iiga 


NAPS. 


MAF  39.— RAROI  or  TBI   CAIIAOA  LTIIZ  AMD   ITS  TBMB  KACM 

Mat  4o.^Raiiob  or  thb  Roktb  ahbucaii  Kir-rozii 
Mat  4i^Raiob  or  tbb  Hortb  ambucax  RBD-rozBS    . 
Map  4a.— Rarob  or  Hortb  ambricar  wolvbi 

Map  43.— Rarob  or  tbb  coyotbs 

MAP  44.— Rarob  or  tbb  Rortb  ambricar  ottbrs  . 


MAP  45.— Rarob  or  tbb  wkasbls  Fodro  ir  Carada,  BzcLnnvB  or  tbb 
Loro-tailbd  ard  Lbar  Wbaibl  groups 


MAP  46.— RAROB  Of  TBB  LBA8T  WBA8BL 

MAP  47.— RAROB  or  TBB  LORO-TAILBD  WBASBL  ARD  ITS  HBAR  KIR 

Map  48.— Tbb  Rarob  or  tbb  rortb  ambricar  Mirks  . 

Map  49.— Rarob  or  tbb  amcricah  Martbrs-  .... 

MAP  so.— Rarob  or  tbb  Fisbbr  ard  its  two  Racbs 

Map  si.— Rarob  or  tbb  Wolvbrirb  ard  its  Tbrbb  Racbs  . 

Map  s>.— Rarob  or  tbb  Larob  skurks  or  tbb  obhus  mbpbitis 

Map  S3.— Rarob  or  tbb  Ambricar  Badoer  ard  its  Four  Racks 

map  S4*— Raros  or  TBB  Raccoors  Fourd  ir  Rortb  America 

Map  ss>— PRIMrive  Rarse  or  tbb  Rortb  Ambricar  Bears  . 

Map  s6.— Rarob  or  tbb  ambricar  Blackbears  ard  Tbeir  rrar  kir 

Map  s7 — Rarob  or  tbb  commor  sbrbw  ard  Its  Four  Races 

Map  s8.— Rarob  or  tbb  Black-backed  Sbrbw      .... 

Map  S9.— Rarob  or  Hot  sbrbw  ard  its  Tbrbb  races 

Map  60. — Rarob  or  tbb  Watbr-sbrew  ard  its  Four  Racbs 

MAP  61.— Rarob  or  tbb  Sbort-tailbd  Sbrbw  ard  Its  Six  Races 

MAP  63.— Rarob  or  tbb  star-rosed  Mole 


MAP  63.— Rarob  or  tbb  Littlb  browr-bat  ard  its  Tbrbb  races 

xi 


rMt 
681 

703 
708 
753 
793 
819 

84a 
861 
869 

875 

90s 

939 

947 

97t 

997 

1013 

103s 

10S7 

109s 

1 107 

IIIO 

1113 
11x9 
1 138 
1149 


xii  Maps 

VMS 

MAT  ft4.— KAiioi  or  m  Sat  Bat  ii«4 

MA»  «$.— RAROS  or  T»  SiLVIK-BAlklO  BAT llM 

Ma»  m.— Ramob  or  TM  Bio  Bkowh-bat 1179 

MA»  67.— RAROB  or  TBB  RBD-BAT  aid  iTt  nVB  RACIB    .                              .   llSS 
MAT  «8.— RAROB  or  TBB  HOABT-BAT Iigj 


UFE.HISTORIES  OF  THE 
FLESH- EATERS 


ORDER  CARNIVORA 


■■■■■ 


XXX. 


Lynx,  Canada  Lynx,  Bobcat,  Gray  Wild-cat,  Lucivee 
or  Loup-cervier. 

Lynx  canadensis  Kerr. 
(L.  Lynx,  the  ancient  name  of  its  European  kinsman;   canadensis,  of  Canada.) 

Lynx  canadensis  Kerr,  1792,  An.  King.,  I,  pp.  32a,  157. 
Type  Locality. — Eastern  Canada. 

French    Canadian,   le   Loup-cervier,   le   Pichu,   le 

Lynx  ou  le  Chat. 
OjiB.,  Cree,   &  Saut.,  Pee-shoo'. 
Chipewyan,  Chee'-say. 
Yankton  Sioux,  Ee-hee'-mo. 
Ogallala  Sioux,  Ig-mu-ho'-ta. 

By  an  unfortunate  error  the  Canada  Lynx  is  sometimes 
called  'Wolverine'  in  Quebec  and  in  the  Adirondacks. 

The  Cat  Family  or  Felidte  comprises  digitigrade  carnivores 
of  medium  or  large  size;  they  have  5  toes  in  front,  4  behind; 
tail,  various;  head,  short  and  round;  claws,  sharp,  curved,  and 
retractile;  teeth,  28  or  30. 

The  genus  Lynx  (Kerr,  1792)  comprises  large  Cats,  with 
very  short  tails  (/.  e.,  less  than  one-half  the  leiigth  of  the  body), 
very  long  legs,  large  feet,  usually  with  tufted  ears,  and  with  the 
following  dentition: 


3-7  i-i  2-2 

Inc.  =-^;  can. — ;  prem. — ; 
3-3  '-I  2-2 


mol. = 

i-i 


=28 


In  youth  there  are  2  additional  premolars  above. 

To  these  generic  characters  the  Canada  Lynx  adds  thesizi 
following:    Length,  about  36  inches  (915  mm.);  tail,  4  inches 
(102  mm.);  hind-foot,  9§  inches  (242  mm.). 


677 


WEIGHT 


678 


Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 


An  extremely  lean  male  from  Halifax,  Nova  Scotia, 
wejghed  i6  pounds;'  another  from  Petersburg  Mountains,  easi 
of  Troy,  was  22  pounds.'  The  full-grown  but  lean  female 
whose  feet  appear  in  Fig.  186,  weighed  13  pounds.  A  young 
female  taken  on  Great  Slave  River,  I  weighed  at  ,5  pounds.  A 
small  but  adult  female  which  I  examined  at  Calgary,  Alberta 
weighed  19  pounds  11  ounces.  S.  N.  Rhoads  accepts'  and 
records  the  followmg  weights  for  Canada  Lynx  in  Pennsyl- 


Fio.  183— Mutology  of  Canada  Lyiu9. 

Takea  AUiabuka  Ri«r,  May  t,  tgar. 


vania:  "about  40  pounds,  as  high  as  44  pounds,"  but  these 
are  exceptionally  heavy. 

COLOUR  /„  summer:    Grayish-brown,  much  darker  on  the  head 

and  back  (where  the  long  hairs  are  black  with  occasional 
white  tips),  and  shaded  into  dull  whitish  below;  the  ears  be- 
hind are  black,  with  a  central  spot  of  whitish;  a  spot  at  the 
corner  of  the  mouth,  the  bars  on  the  ruflF,  and  the  whole  end 
0/  the  tail  black;  a  few  dusky  spots  show  on  the  inside  of 
each  limb. 

In  winter:  The  colour  is  much  paler  and  grayer;  at  all 
times  the  tuft  of  hairs  on  the  ears  is  long  and  black. 

When  seen  alive  it  looks  and  behaves  exactly  like  a  huge 
gray  cat.  Its  tufted  ears  and  short  bobtail  will  distinguish  it 
from  Its  near  relatives.     It  might  be  mistaken  for  the  American 

'  Aud.  &  Bach.,  Quad.  N.  A.,  1849,  Vol.  I,  p.  138. 

'Ibid. 

'  Mam.  Pent!.,  1903,  pp.  137-8. 


PLATE  XIVIII. — THE  LYNX  AT  BAY. 


am 


Canada  Lynx 


679 


Wild-cat  or  Bay-lynx  {Lynx  ruff  us),  but  its  tail  is  very  dif- 
ferent and  furnishes  a  sure  guide;  while  the  Lynx  has  the  tip 
of  the  tail  wholly  black  above  and  below  and  the  rest  of  it 
grayish-white,  the  Bay-lynx  has  the  tip  black  above  and  white 
below,  and  also  has  other  broken  bars  on  the  upper  part 


Fig.  185— Lynx  Tails.   (Half  life  sia.) 

I.    Canada  l.yux. 
3.    Bay-lynx. 
(Both  Inm  Mutkoka,  Ont.) 


Fin.  184— Head  of  Canada  Lynx  $  in  summer.    (Half  life  size.) 


Nothwithstanding  the  fact  that  the  Bay-lynx  is  said  by 
Herrick*  to  be  the  prevailing  species  in  Minnesota,  I  have 
failed  to  determine  its  occurrence  in  Manitoba. 

Three  races  of  Canada  Lynx  are  recognized: 

canadensis  Kerr,  the  typical  form. 
mollipilosus  Stone,  a  browner  race. 
suhsolanus  Bangs,  a  darker  race. 

*  Mam.  Minn.,  189a,  p.  73. 


680         Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 


Life-history. 


RANGE 


I* 

•7 


HOME- 
RANGE 


ABUN- 
DANCE 


This  species  ranges  over  the  whole  of  Manii^ba  wherever 
there  is  cover.  In  autumn  it  is  often  found  three  or  four  miles 
out  on  the  prairies.  Premier  Roblin  has  supplied  me  with  the 
record  of  a  Lynx  killed  on  his  farm  near  Carman,  among  some 
willows,  3  miles  from  timber  and  lo  from  woodland  of  any 
extent.  In  the  end  of  October,  1883,  I  met  with  a  Lynx  on 
the  open  prairie  20  miles  west  of  Shelimouth.  In  the  fall  of 
1905,  E.  W.  Darbey  says  2  Lynxes  were  killed  within  the  limits 
of  the  city  of  Winnipeg.  But  its  usual  haunts  are  the  woods, 
the  thicker  the  better. 

The  Lynx  is  generally  believed  to  be  a  wide  ranger. 
While  the  young  are  unable  to  travel  it  would  be  impossible 
for  the  mother  to  go  more  than  four  or  five  miles  from  home, 
but,  in  the  autumn  and  winter,  there  is  reason  for  believing 
they  will  go  fully  ten  times  as  far.  I  remember  meeting  with  a 
Lynx  near  Toronto  in  December,  1875,  although  it  was  com- 
monly believed  that  they  were  no  longer  found  within  30  or 
40  miles  of  that  city. 

I  met  with  but  three  or  four  Lynxes  during  as  many  years 
in  Manitoba,  so  that  in  the  poplar  region  about  Carberry 
and  westward  they  cannot  be  called  abundant.  In  the  sandhill 
tract  between  Carberry  and  the  river,  about  20  miles  by  15,  I 
doubt  if  there  j  ordinarily  a  dozen  Lynxes  resident.  In  the 
thickly  wooded  regions  northward,  they  are  said  to  be  much 
more  plentiful,  and  in  the  Peace  River  country,  during  the  great 
Rabbit  year  of  1904,  the  Lynxes  so  abounded  that  nearly 
every  hunter  and  trapper  in  the  country  got  from  20  to  50  that 
season. 


If 

1«       Ai 


i^i 


ii 


SOCIA- 
BILITY 


So  far  as  known,  the  only  approaches  to  sociability  in  this 
animal  are  the  bands  of  four  or  five  that  are  seen  together  in 
autumn  and  winter,  and  it  is  the  opinion  of  most  hunters  that 


MAP  39-RAHGE  OF  THE  CAHADA  LYNX  AND  ITS  THREE  RACES. 
Lynx  canadensis  Kerr. 

j.-.,,,.,!^.  rhirtlv  i:n  rs-rnrrf".  •:■.•  T-  R'tharik'-Tv  E   W   N"l«'-n.  r)   H:.n!!i  C   Hart  Merriam.  I.  Faniun.  U  ,  H.  Osgiiod.  R.  Bfll.  A.  P.  Low. 
R    M...  I'lrlani-,  \V.  Slonr,  S.  is'.  kiiuads,  E.  A.  IVtble.  and  t.  1.  Silin. 

(iSl 


682        Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 

these  are  the  family  of  the  year,  still  with  the  mother  and 
occasionally  accompanied  also  by  the  father.  George  Link- 
later  assures  me  that  he  has  often  seen  in  the  snow  signs  of 
Lynxes  gathered  together  to  chase  each  other  and  play,  at  a 
time  when  sex  instincts  were  out  of  the  question.  But  what 
the  nature  of  the  game  was  I  have  failed  to  learn.  E.  W. 
Nelson  says:"  "The  fur-traders  and  Indians  of  the  Upper 
Yukon  claim  that  the  Lynxes  sometimes  unite  in  parties  of 
5  or  6  and  make  Rabbit  drives  on  the  small  islands  in  the 
Yukon.  They  claim  to  have  heard  the  Lynxes  utter  a  sharp 
whistling  noise,  and  to  have  found  their  tracks  in  the  snow 
where  the  line  had  swept  the  island,  until  each  secured  its  prey, 
near  the  farther  end." 


■     I 


'1 


h  r 


II 

ti, 


INTER- 
COMMU- 
NICA- 
TION 


HATING 


The  Stripes  on  the  face,  the  black  ear  tufts,  the  whiskers, 
and  the  little  nervous  twitching  black-tipped  tail,  are  no  doubt 
important  direction  marks  to  help  the  Lynx's  own  kind  in 
recognizing  it,  but  its  voice  is  its  chief  means  of  communicating 
with  its  distant  fellows.  I  never  heard  a  Lynx  purr,  but  all 
other  sounds  that  a  house-cat  has,  the  Lynx  has,  and  uses 
them  in  much  the  same  way.  I  know  nothing  of  the '  whistling ' 
mentioned  by  Nelson  in  a  previous  paragraph.  It  has,  how- 
ever, another  vocal  effort  which  is  even  better  developed  than 
in  the  cat,  and  that  is  a  yowling  song.  This  begins  with  a 
long  low  'me-ow,'  followed  by  others  in  quick  succession,  with 
rising  pitch  and  volume,  till  after  three  or  four  minutes  continu- 
ous performance  the  final  'me-ows'  are  terrific  screeches.  I 
have  heard  this  in  August,  October,  and  December,  and  do  not 
know  what  it  means,  or  which  sex  utters  it.  But  the  trappers 
tell  me  that  the  somewhat  similar  and  frightful  caterwauling  of 
the  males  is  mostly  heard  early  in  March  and  has  a  direct 
relation  to  the  mating. 

The  species  is  generally  believed  to  pair,  but  I  have  no 
evidence  beyond  the  opinion  of  hunters. 

The  mating  season  is  any  time  during  the  first  half  of 

"  Nat.  Hist.  Alaska,  1887,  p.  235. 


Canada  Lynx 


683 


March.  My  Otiawa  guide,  Ned  Crete,  of  Deux  R.v.crcs, 
tells  me  that,  in  1904.  he  saw  7  Lynxes  together  on  March  15 
or  20.  It  was  the  regular  running  season,  and  the  year  before 
a  similar  group  was  seen  at  the  same  place. 

There  were  2  small  and  5  big  ones.  They  were  cater- 
wauling like  cats;  it  was  this  noise  that  called  his  attention  to 
them  Two  were  fighting  exactly  like  tom-cats;  the  one  down 
on  his  back  had  the  better  of  it,  being  able  to  scratch  with 
four  feet  instead  of  only  two. 

The  hunters  generally  believe  that  the  Lynx  is  monog- 
amous, and  Miles  Spencer  gives'  it  as  the  opinion  of  the 
Indians  that  the  Lynx  assists  the  female  in  rearing  the  young. 
Linklater  takes  the  same  view  and  maintains  that  though  the 
male  does  not  actually  accompany  the  young,  when  they  fol- 
low the  mother,  he  is  always  found  at  no  great  distance,  both 
in  summer  and  in  winter.  This  same  trapper  believes  that 
Lynxes  travel  in  families  the  year  round,  except  in  the  spring. 

The  period  of  gestation,  according  to  MacFarlanc,'  is  young 
about  3  months.    This  would  bring  the  young  into  the  world 
about   the  middle  of  June  in  Hudson  Bay  Territories,  but 
in  Pennsylvania,   Rhoads  says,   they  arrive  in   May.       Ihe 
mother  prepares  a  comfortable  nest  for  them  in  some  hole 
or  hollow  log.    Whether  the  father  assists  in  this,  I  cannot 
learn     The -young  are,  according  to  all  accounts,  from  1  to 
3  or  4  in  number,  but  Linklater  tells  mt  that  he  has  found  up 
to  6  in  the  female.    This  discrepancy  I  have  come  across  many 
times,  the  average  number  of  young  in  the  brood  being  less 
than  the  number  of  embryos  in  the  female.     It  may  mean 
that  some  are  still-born,  a  parallel  case  being  the  addled  eggs  m 
nests;  or,  if  too  many  for  their  food  supply,  the  weak  ones  die. 
When  born  they  are  much  like  the  kittens  of  t^e  house- 
cat    In  1886 1  made  the  herewith  drawing  of  one  (Plate  XLIX) 
to  illustrate  a  paper  by  Dr.  C.  Hart  Merriam.    The  specimen 

•Mam.  H.  Bay,  Low's  Rep.  Geol.  Surv.  Can..  1888,  App.  IH,  p.  76  J. 
'Mam.  N.  W.  Terr.,  Proc.  U.  S.  Nat.  Mus.  XXVIII,  19^5,  P-  69a- 
•Mam.  Penn.,  1903,  p.  140- 


084  Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 

was  secured  by  Montague  Chamberlain,  of  St.  John,  N.  B. 
He  says:' 

"It  was  dropped  on  the  20th  of  March,  i88j,  when  the 
mother  had  been  in  captivity  about  a  month.     She  gave  birth 
to  5  kittens,  but  this  was  the  only  one  rescued  from  her  un- 
motherly  jaws.     When  the  first  was  born  she  at  once  prepared 
to  clean  it,  and  seemed  fond  of  it.    After  a  short  time,  however. 
It  gave  vent  to  a  weak  squeal,  which  caused  her  to  eye  it 
curiously  for  a  moment,  when  another  squeal  was  delivered. 
This  settled   the   kitten's  doom— it  was   devoured  at  once. 
The  mother  did  not  exhibit  any  tenderness  towardr,  the  other 
4,  and  the  keeper  made  two  unsuccessful  efforts  before  he  was 
able  to  get  one  away  from  her.     This  kitten  lived  two  days, 
and  then  died  from  injuries  received  in  its  removal  from  the 
cage.     Its  *mew'  was  sc  lething  like  that  of  a  domestic  kitten, 
but  stronger  and  harsher;   it  was  almost  fierce  and  very  pene- 
trating.    The  general  strength  of  the  animal  was  greater  than 
that  of  a  domestic  kitten.     Two  hours  after  birth  it  stood 
firmly  on  its  feet  and  turned  around  in  its  box,  but  it  did  not 
show  any  inclination  to  fight  when  teased.     The  eyes  were 
open  at  birth." 

Miles  Spencer  states'"  that  they  are  born  with  closed  eyes. 
Dr.   Merriam  adds  in  his  description  of  the  specimen 
figured : 

"  It  is  but  a  trifle  larger  than  "the  young  of  the  domestic 
cat  at  birth,  and  may  have  been  born  a  little  prematurely, 
though  the  fact  that  its  eyes  were  open  arjjues  against  this 
supposition.  I  am  unable  to  give  many  measurements  of 
value,  since  I  did  not  see  the  specimen  till  after  it  came  from 
the  taxidermist. 

*****  »<  * 

"The  ground  colour  of  the  body  is  light  fawn,  paler  below, 
and  inclining  to  buff  on  the  sides.  It  is  much  obscured  above 
by  the  stripes  and  rows  of  concatenating  brown  blotches,  and 
below  by  small  dark  stripes.  *  *  "• 

•Bull.  Nat.  Hist.  Soc.  New  Brunswick,  1886,  No  V   pd   io-u 
'"  Loc.  cil.,  note  6.  ^' 


6   S 


mi 


■H 


Canada  Lynx 


08A 


"It  is  hardly  necessary  to  call  attention  to  the  fact  that  this 
specimen  is  o  c  of  unusual  interest,  since  its  very  decided 
markings,  of  which  scarcely  a  trace  remains  in  the  adult 
animal,  cast  some  light  upon  the  genetic  affinities  of  the  genus 
to  which  it  pertains.  A  critical  study  of  these  markings  leads 
to  the  interesting  conclusion  that  the  genus  Lynx  was  derived 
from  the  group  of  Cats  of  which  the  Ocelot  {Felts  pardalts) 
is  the  nearest  living  representative." 

After  the  young  Lynxes  have  been  suckled  for  two  or  three 
months  the  family-  mother,  kits,  and  probably  father-set  out 
on  their  tiavels.  At  this  time  the  young  are  weaned  and  have 
for  a  month  or  more  been  eating  solid  food,  but  now  they 
begin  to  learn  hunting  for  themselves.  The  instinctive  habit 
of  the  race,  stimulated  by  hunger  and  the  mother  s  example, 
is  doubtless  the  prime  motive  power. 

Although  usually  a  shy  creature,  avoiding  a  meeting  with  faiuly 
man,  the  Lynx  mother  is  very  ready  to  fight  for  her  family. 

On  one  occasion,  while  out  on  a  camera  hunt  in  Colorado, 
I  heard  a  buck  stamping  in  a  little  dale  and,  slipping  off 
my  horse,  camera  in  hand,  sneaked  after  the  Deer.     I  found 
nothing  but  his  iracks,  and  was  peering  across  an  open  place, 
when  I  caught  sight  of  a  large  animal  close  to  me  on  thr 
right.     On  passing  into  the  clear  space  it  turned  to  look  at  me. 
It  was  a  Lynx,  but  it  seemed  very  small,  and  its  expression  was 
one  of  innocent  curiosity,  entirely  without  menace.     I*  Pju^a 
ac  30  feet.     I  hastened  to  adjust  the  camera,  and  as  I  did  so  a 
deep  rumbling  growl  and  a  movement  in  a  thicket  dose  at 
hand  made  me  jump.     I  turned  around,  to  see  within  15  feet 
a  Lynx  three  times  as  big  as  the  first,  and  eyeing  me  savagely 
from  behind  some  willows.     My  first  thought  was  to  wish  for 
a  gun,  for  I  realized  that  the  Lynx  in  the  open  was  only  a  kitten; 
now  I  had  to  meet  the  mother.     My  second  thought  was  that 
the  old  one  would  do  me  no  harm  if  I  faced  her,  and  did  not 
molest  the  kitten.     So  I  tried  to  get  her  photograph,  but  she 
disappeared,  and  when  I  looked  around  the  little  one  also  was 


"^(im 


i\ 


Fig.  i86— Feet  of  Canada  Lynx.    (Hall  life  sia.) 

Uppermost  fii;ure,  riffht  hind-loot  of  Urge  male  in  winter. 
Middle,  right  hind-Toot  of  female  in  iummcr. 
Lowest,  nght  front-paw  of  same. 

cso 


Mfi 


Canada  Lynx 


687 


gone.  On  this  occasion  I  saw  nothing  of  a  second  old  one, 
or  indeed  of  any  other  young  ones,  for  that  matter ;  but  they 
may  have  been  there,  as  the  undergrowth  was  very  thick. 
The  date  was  September  8. 

The  family  continues  together  all  autumn.  As  pro^f  of 
this,  Linklater  tells  me  that  in  October,  1904,  he  saw  ,  LynAcs 
together  hunting  at  Desbarats;  probably  they  were  m  thtr  and 
kits.  In  1894,  at  Green  Lake,  Ont.,  he  saw  5  toget  er  about 
Christmas;  all  seemed  fully  grown.  Charles  G.  D  ro'.firts 
informs  me  that  in  New  Brunswick  a  band  of  5  or  6  Lynxes 


Fig.  187— Right  hind  and  right  front  tndu  of  a  domestic  cat  (natural  si») 
for  compariaoo  with  those  of  Lynx. 

are  sometimes  seen  in  company.  All  these  cases  are,  I  believe, 
incidents  of  family  life,  and  the  Rabbit  drives  Nelson  tells  us 
of  have  a  similar  explanation. 

The  group  may  continue  together  ontil  March  comes, 
bringing  with  it  that  great  disintegrator  of  the  family  band — 
the  mating  craze — which  prompts  the  brother  and  sister  to 
shun  each  other,  and  seek  each  one  a  helpmate  for  himself. 

Tn  hunting  the  Lynx  a  single  small  dog  is  enough  to  make  pursuit 
it  take  to  a  tree,  but  it  is  very  apt  to  regain  courage,  come  down 
and  kill  the  dog,  unless  the  hunter  be  close  at  hand  to  succour 
and  support  his  noisy  colleague. 

Although  a  desperate  fighter  when  cornered,  this  animal 
is  easily  killed.  If  it  is  taken  in  a  snare,  the  trapper  usually 
picks  up  a  stout  stick  and  dispatches  the  victim  with  a  blow  on 
the  snout  or  back. 

In  following  it  in  winter  I  have  often  been  impressed  by 


^ssm 


688         Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 


RUNNING 


SWIM- 
MINT, 


the  admirable  adaptation  of  its  feet  as  snow-shoes.  Although 
its  weight  be  30  or  40  pounds,  its  feet  are  so  large  and  so 
spread  with  stiff  hairs  that  it  walks  lightly  on  soft  drifts 
where  a  dog  would  flounder  in  utter  helplessness.  As  it 
rambles  through  the  woods  it  usually  walks  every  log  it  comes 
to.  Sometimes,  in  the  midst  of  a  slow  walk,  it  will  spring  for- 
ward 12  or  15  feet,  apparently  without  any  object  other  than 
a  wish  to  see  how  far  it  can  jump. 

Although  a  creature  of  superb  activity  among  matted 
branches  and  labyrinthine  logs  or  underbrush,  the  Lynx  is 
surprisingly  slow  on  the  level  ground. 

The  cowboys  of  New  Mexico  on  their  ponies  could  catch 
a  Bay-lynx  in  the  open  within  half  a  mile,  even  though  it  had 
a  quarter-mile  start.  Not  only  will  any  common  cur  dog 
overtake  a  Canada  Lynx  within  a  few  hundred  yards,  but  even 
a  man  who  is  speedy  can  run  it  down  in  open  country,  as 
attested  by  Alexander  Henry.  In  speaking  of  Le  Boeu'f,  a 
famous  Indian  hunter  and  runner  on  the  Red  River,  he  says:" 

"He  came  in  to-day  with  a  Loup-cervier  that  he  had 
caught  in  the  plains  in  a  fair  chase  and  kl  led  with  his  small 
axe;  he  certainly  is  an  extraordinary  runner.  He  is  a  tall  man, 
spare  and  lean,  of  a  mild  disposition,  but  wicked  when  provoked 
to  anger." 

During  my  journey  to  the  Far  North  in  1907,  I  often 
heard  of  such  exploits  on  the  part  of  hunters,  and  at  length,  on 
Great  Slave  Lake,  was  eye-witness  of  this  very  achievement. 

On  the  other  hand,  the  Lynx  seems  very  much  at  home 
m  the  water.  The  garrulous  and  ever-entertaining  Henry 
says,  in  his  Red  River  Journal,  April  22,  1804:"  "Caught  15 
sturgeons  and  a  Loup-cervier;  how  the  latter  came  into  the 
sturgeon  net  I  cannot  say.  We  saw  his  track  on  the  beach 
until  he  came  opposite  the  net,  which  completely  crossed  the 
river;   he  appeared  to  have  then  taken  to  the  water,  for  what 

"  Red  River,  November  a,  1802,  Journal  A.  Henry,  1897,  P-  ao6. 
"  P.  242. 


Canada  Lynx 


689 


reason  I  cannot  tell.     However,  he  was  found  drowned,  en- 
tangled in  the  net  about  lo  feet  from  shore." 

Richardson,  in  his  Overland  Journey,  184  ,  relates"  that 
on  June  26,  at  Buffalo  Lake,  "a  Canada  Lynx  was  seen 
swimming  across  a  strait,  where  the  distance  from  shore  to 
shore  exceeded  a  mi'  .  We  gave  chase  and  killed  it  easily. 
This  animal  is  often  seen  in  the  water,"  and  elsewhci  "  he 
remarks,  "it  swims  well  and  will  cross  the  arm  of  a  lake  two 
miles  wide."  I  have  several  times  known  Lynxes  to  take  to 
the  water  without  being  in  any  sense  driven,  and  was  sur- 
prised to  find  this  member  of  the  cat  tribe  as  good  a  swimmer  as 
a  dog  and  far  better  than  a  Fox. 

It  is  noteworthy  that  most  of  our  carnivora  live  chiefly  food 
on  prey  smaller  than  themselves.  The  Fox  preys  on  Mice, 
the  Marten  on  Squirrels,  the  Badger  on  Gophers,  the  Lynx 
finds  its  chief  support  in  the  White-rabbit.  A  good  Rabbit 
year  is  sure  to  be  a  good  Lynx  year,  and  the  disappearance  of 
the  Rabbits  is  followed  by  a  general  disappearance  of  the 
Lynxes. 

In  addition  to  Rabbits,  the  Lynx  preys  on  various  kinds 
of  grouse — is,  in  fact,  the  chief  enemy  of  the  Canadian  grouse 
or  spruce  partridge. 

It  is  a  curious  fact,  as  I  have  often  witnessed,  that  the 
spruce  partridge  will  allow  a  man  to  walk  within  ten  feet  and 
noose  a  member  out  of  a  covey,  but  the  moment  a  dog  or 
anything  suggesting  a  Lynx  appears  in  the  distance  the  whole 
family  take  flight  in  alarm.  This  may  be  accepted  as  evidence 
that  the  Lynx,  and  perhaps  the  Fox,  have  for  long  been  the 
only  important  enemies  of  this  grouse. 

The  food  of  this  animal  is  thus  detailed  by  Audubon 
and  Bachman:" 

"The  food  of  the  Canada  Lynx  consists  of  several  species 
of  grouse  and  other  birds,  the  Northern  Hare,  Gray-rabbit, 

"  Arctic  Search  Exp.,  1851,  Vol.  I,  p.  106. 
"  F.  B.  A.,  1829,  Vol.  I,  p.  loi. 
"  Q.  N.  A.,  1849,  Vol.  I,  p.  141. 


-■^;!n»F#« 


690 


Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 


FOX- 
KILLER 


Chipping-squirrel,  and  other  quadruped  It  has  been  men- 
tioned to  us  that  in  the  territories  to  the  north  of  the  Gulf  of 
St.  Lawrence  they  destroy  the  Arctic  Fox,  and  make  great  havoc 
among  the  Lemmings  (Georychus).  Hearne  informs  us  (p.  366) 
that  in  Hudson  Bay  they  'seldom  leave  a  place  which  is 
frequented  by  Rabbits,  till  they  ha  e  killed  nearly  all  of  them.' 
They  are  said  to  pounce  on  the  wu«?  goose  at  its  breeding 
places,  and  to  destroy  many  Marmots  and  Spermophiles  by 
lying  in  wait  for  them  at  their  burrows." 

We  shall  probably  find  in  its  food  list  every  living  creature 
that  it  can  overcome,  which  means  all  smaller  than  itself, 
not  excluding  snakes,  frogs,  and  insects.  There  are  probably  but 
two  lesser  fellow  woodsmen  that  the  Lynx  lets  alone;  these 
are  the  Skunk  and  the  Porcupine.  Starvation,  however,  may 
overcome  its  fear  of  these,  as  is  shown  by  Audubon  and  Bach- 
man:"  "At  a  public  house  in  Canada,  we  wer^  shown  the 
skin  of  one  of  these  Lynxes,  the  animal  having  been  found 
quite  helpless  and  nearly  dead  in  the  woods.  It  appears  that, 
leaping  onto  a  Porcupine,  it  had  caught  a  Tartar,  as  its  head 
was  greatly  inflamed  and  it  was  nearly  blind.  Its  mouth  was 
full  of  the  sharp  quills  of  that  well-defended  animal,  which 
would  in  a  day  or  two  have  occasioned  its  death." 

Most  persons  are  surprised  to  learn  that  in  the  thickly 
wooded  country  the  Lynx  is  a  deadly  enemy  of  the  Fox. 

One  of  my  guides  in  the  Kippewa  region  of  Quebec 
(Archie  Miller)  tells  me  that  in  January,  1904,  as  he  crossed 
Askoe  Lake  near  Kippewa,  he  saw  a  Lynx  and  a  Fox  about  80 
yards  off,  fighting  on  the  snow.  He  watched  them  for  about 
15  minutes.  The  Fox  was  trying  to  get  away,  but  the  deep, 
soft  snow  was  against  it,  and  finally  it  was  overtaken  and  killed 
by  the  Lynx.  When  Miller  came  up  the  victor  ran  off  into 
the  woods.  In  the  fight  an  acre  of  snow  was  trampled  all  over; 
they  must  have  been  at  it  for  an  hour.  The  tracks  showed 
that  they  began  the  battle  in  a  woods  near  by,  where  there  were 
many  Rabbits.    The  Fox's  neck  was  torn  open  and  its  heart 


Canada  Lynx 


691 


pierced  in  two  places,  apparently  by  the  claws  of  its  adversary. 
It  was  a  prime  Cross-fox,  and  brought  five  dollars. 

Similarly,  Linklater  tells  me  that  once  when  carrying 
the  mails  down  from  Montreal  River,  Ont.,  in  January, 
1880,  he  had  halted  for  noon  at  the  edge  of  a  small  lake  and 
saw  on  the  ice,  a  mile  or  more  away,  two  animals  fighting,  one 
either  a  Fox  or  a  Fisher,  the  other  a  Lynx. 

After  eating  his  dinner  and  resting  an  hour,  he  travelled 
on  to  the  place  and  found  the  combatants  to  be  a  Cross-fox 
and  a  Lynx.  They  had  had  a  long  and  desperate  encounter, 
but  the  Fox,  as  usual,  had  succumbed  to  his  foe's  superior 
powers,  and  had  been  torn  into  pieces.  The  head  and  tail 
were  lying  on  the  ice,  but  the  body  had  been  carried  oflF  and 
buried  under  snow  in  the  distant  woods,  where  the  traveller 
found  it.  The  tracks  showed  that  the  Lynx  had  attacked  the 
Fox  in  the  woods  and  chased  it  round  and  round  on  the  Rabbit 
trails  for  perhaps  an  hour  before  driving  it  onto  the  ice,  where 
the  killing  took  place.  There  were  plenty  of  Rabbits,  so 
that  hunger  was  not  the  excuse.  The  Fox  was  at  a  disad- 
vantage, as  the  snow  was  three  feet  deep  and  very  soft.  The 
Lynx  went  over  the  surface  on  his  snow-shoes,  the  Fox  ploughed 
in  deep,  and  the  harder  he  leaped  the  deeper  he  sank. 

Both  these  trappers  say  they  have  often  heard  of  Foxes 
killed  by  Lynxes  and  by  Fishers. 

As  soon  as  these  two  are  trapped  out,  Foxes  increase, 
but  are  everywhere  scarce  in  the  thick  woods. 

J.  K.  McDonald  writes  me:  "I  have  known  of  bodies  of 
even  full-grown  Foxes  being  found  dead,  but  uneaten,  such 
having  been  killed  by  the  Lynx." 

The  latter,  however,  is  not  always  master  of  the  situation, 
as  proven  by  the  following  incident  in  Nelson's  "Alaska":" 

"Mr.  McQuesten,  a  fur-trader  living  at  Fort  Yukon,  wit- 
nessed one  winter  day  a  combat  between  a  Lynx  and  a  Red- 
fox,  which  he  described  to  me  as  follows:  'The  Lynx 
sprang  upon  the  Fox,  in  comparatively  open  ground,  evidently 
trymg  to  capture  it  for  food.    The  Fox  instantly  made  fight, 

"  Nat.  Hist.  Alaska,  1887,  p.  235. 


DEER- 
KILLER 


69«         Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 

and  for  a  few  moments  the  fur  flew  right  and  left.  Then  a 
short  pause  followed  and  the  fight  was  renewed.  A  second 
pause  ensued,  and  after  the  two  had  glared  at  one  another  for 
a  few  moments  they  slowly  withdrew  in  opposite  directions, 
the  hair  on  each  bristling  defiance,  but  each  apparently  satisfied 
to  close  accounts.'  This  Lynx  was  probably  weakened  by 
hunger,  for  a  vigorous  Lynx  is  certainly  more  than  a  match 

for  a  Fox." 

In  this  case,  I  suspect  further,  that  there  was  very  little 
snow.  The  Lynx,  mounted  on  his  wonderful  snow-shoes,  has 
a  sovereign  advantage  when  the  snow  is  deep  enough  to 
embarrass  a  Fox.  In  fact,  the  Lynx  plays  crust-hunter,  while 
the  Fox  flounders  helplessly  in  treacherous  drifts. 

In  my  early  days  about  Lindsay,  Ont.,  I  several  times 
heard  of  farmers  losing  lambs  or  even  small  pigs  through 
the  attack,  of  Lynxes;  and  fawns  were  believed  to  be  com- 
monly their  prey.  But  the  hunters  were  divided  as  to  whether 
a  Lynx  would  attack  any  creature  so  large  as  a  full-grown 
Deer. 

One  of  our  best  naturalists  writes:"  "We  have  heard  one 
or  two  accounts  of  the  Canada  Lynx  having  killed  a  Deer; 
we  are  somewhat  sceptical  in  regard  to  this  being  a  general 
habit  of  the  species,  although  when  pressed  by  hunger,  which 
renders  all  creatures  desperate  at  times,  it  may  occasionally 
venture  to  attack  a  large  animal." 

Linklater  claims  that  he  has  conclusive  evidence  in  point. 
At  Green  Lake,  Algoma  (H.  B.  Post),  he  once  found  the 
remains  of  a  Deer  on  the  ice  with  no  tracks  but  those  of  one 
Lynx  about  it.  The  Deer  was  a  two-year-old.  He  is  satisfied 
that  it  was  killed  by  the  Lynx. 

In  September,  1901,  while  camped  in  the  Colorado 
Mountains,  where  the  Deer  and  Lynxes  both  were  abundant, 
my  guide,  Charles  Erickson,  told  me  of  another  case.  About 
five  years  before,  A.  E.  Muckey  was  hunting  a  band  of  Black- 
tails  in  the  snow  among  the  cedar  brakes,  between  the  mouth 

'"  Bachman,  Q.  N.  A.,  1849,  Vol.  I,  p.  141. 


Canada  Lynx 


698 


of  Deep  Creek  and  the  Sweetwater,  along  the  Grand  River, 
when  the  trails  of  two  Bobcats  joined  on  to  those   of  the 
Deer.     A  Deer  track  left  the  band  and  one  of  the  Bobcats' 
tracks  disappeared  at  that  place.     Muckey  turned  aside  to 
follow  that  one  Deer.     After  a  short  time   he  came  on  its 
carcass  with  both  Bobcats  in  possession,  but  they  ran  way 
at  his  approach.     He  put  some  poison  on  the  kill,  and  re- 
turned next  morning  to  find  both  Bobcats  dead  at  their  feast. 
S.  N.  Rhoads,  after  stating"  "There  is  nothing  in  the 
habits  of  the  Lynx  differing  from  those  of  a  Wild-cat,  except 
what  it  accomplishes  on  account  of  its  greater  size  and  agility," 
adds:    "They  will  not  hesitate  to  fasten  themselves  on  the 
necks  of  Deer,  trusting  to  bring  them  down  by  sheer  exhaustion 
and  blood-letting  before  the  Deer  can  manage  to  drag  them 
off  by  running  through  brush  or  branches  of  thick  trees,  or 
by  jumping  into  water.     Mr.  Seth  Nelson  on  one  occasion 
was  trout  fishing  at  a  large  pool  in  the  woods  of  Clinton  County, 
when  a  crashing  through  the  forest  made  him  seize  his  rifle  in 
time  to  shoot  both  a  Wild-cat  and  a  doe,  which  plunged  into 
the  pool  to  free  itself  of  its  tormentor.     They  have  been  known 
to  seriously  wound  hunters  in  their  own  defence,  and  even  to 
make  an  unprovoked  attack." 

Hearne  states'"  that  he  once  saw  a  Lynx  take  possession 
of  a  Caribou  that  an  Indian  had  just  slain  and  "suffered 
Itself  to  be  killed  before  it  would  relinquish  the  prize." 

In  New  Brunswick,  according  to  Charles  G.  D.  Roberts, 
a  band  of  Lynxes  do  not  hesitate  to  attack  even  a  Caribou  j 
and  Linklater  relates  a  similar  case  that  he  heard  of  from  an 
Indian  whom  he  considered  quite  reliable.  It  was  at  a  place 
35  miles  north  of  Sudbury,  Ont.  The  hunter  found  the 
place  with  all  the  marks  in  tree  and  in  snow,  showing  that  the 
Lynx  had  been  in  a  tree  by  the  runway  and  had  dropped  on 
a  passing  Caribou,  but  the  Caribou,  by  dashing  into  the 
thickets,  had  managed  to  get  rid  of  its  enemy. 

From  these  records  we  may  believe  that  the  Lynx  will 
If  hard  pressed,  attack   Deer  and  even  Caribou,  but  these 

"  Mam.  Penn,  1903,  p.  140.  »  journal,  179s,  p.  37a. 


f 


694         Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 

are  not  its  usual  prey,  nor  does  it  care  to  assail  them  except 
when  able  to  do  so  in  force. 

S^Iests  ^°  ^^^  ^  ^^^^  "°*  '"^  ^'^h  an  authentic  case  of  the  Lynx 

MAN  voluntarily  attacking  man.  It  may  sneak  along  the  hunter's 
trail  after  dark,  and  close  behind  him,  hut  it  seems  to  be 
actuated  by  curiosity  more  than  anything  else,  and  having 
come  close  enough  to  inspect  or  w  ind  him,  is  most  likely  to  glide 
away  in  search  of  its  proper  prey. 

I  have  several  times  been  followed  in  this  way,  but  usually 
did  not  know  it  till  afterwards,  when  I  happened  to  come 
back  again  to  my  old  track  in  the  snow. 

A  hunter  told  me  that  he  once  secured  a  fine  specimen 
through  knowledge  of  this  habit. 

Chancing  on  his  own  track  again  within  a  few  min- 
utes, he  saw  the  great  pad-marks  of  a  Lynx  evidently  trot- 
tmg  behind  him.  He  crossed  an  open  space  into  some 
brush  and  there  sat  down  to  watch.  Within  five  minutes 
the  Lynx  came  running  the  trail  like  a  hound  and,  when 
withm  twenty  yards,  was  easily  bowled  over  with  a  charge  of 
heavy  shot. 

Several  of  my  companions  about  Carberry  have  met  with 
Lynxes  among  the  Sandhills.  In  most  cases  the  creature 
walked  away,  retiring  with  great  dignity,  or  uttering  a  deep, 
defiant  growl. 

The  only  account  I  find  of  a  Lynx  facing  a  man  is  by  Pro- 
fessor H.  Y.  Hind,  and,  although  he  did  not  witness  the  affair, 
he  seems  to  believe  it.  In  this  case  the  Lynx  did  not  attack 
voluntarily,  but  was  at  bay.  The  incident  took  place  on  an 
island  opposite  Mingan  Post  on  the  Gulf  of  St.  Lawrence. 
Peter  Mackenzie,  armed  but  with  bow,  arrows,  knife,  and 
snow-shoes,  landed  on  the  island  in  early  spring  while  yet 
there  was  snow,  and  found  the  Lynx.  After  a  long  pursuit 
he  struck  it  with  two  arrows. 

"At  last  he  came  within  twenty  yards;  the  Cat  turned 
round,  rose  on  his  hind-legs,  snarled,  and  began  to  paw  the 
air.     M^.ckenzie  discharged  another  arrow,  but  at  the  same 


-^l**JS»c=. 


Canada  Lynx 


695 


moment  his  snow-shoes  tripped  him  up,  and  he  fell  head- 
long with  his  face  in  the  snow.  The  Cat  instantly  sprung 
upon  him,  tearing  with  one  stroke  the  coat  from  his  back. 
Mackenzie  turned  round  at  once,  and  caught  the  Cat  by 
the  throat  with  onr  hand,  and  with  the  other  he  drew  his  knife; 
but  as  he  made  a  tunge  ihey  both  rolled  over  together,  and  he 
received  some  very  severe  scratches.  Still  holding  on  firmly  to 
the  throat  of  the  animal,  he  was  not  bitten,  although  he  was 
in  danger  of  having  his  bowels  torn  cut  by  the  hind-feet  of  the 
Cat,  who  was  making  a  vigorous  resistance.  A  second  lunge 
with  the  knife  was  fatal;  it  passed  through  the  aniiaal's  heart, 
but  it  left  Mackenzie  exhausted  and  bleeding  on  the  snow. 
He  soon  recovered,  and  carried  his  booty  in  triumph  to  the 
Post."" 

Canadian  hunters  and  trappers  generally  credit  the  Lynx  storage 
with  a  well-developed  storage  habit.     When  it  secures  more 
food  than  it  needs  for  the  present,  it  carefully  hides  it  in  the 
earth  or  in  the  snow  for  less  bounteous  times.     One  case  has 
already  been  cited. 

The  Rabbit  is  the  most  diseased  of  our  mammals,  and  the  diseases 
Lynx  feeding  on  the  Rabbit  should  logically  inherit  the  physi- 
cal troubles  of  its  victim,  but  I  have  seen  no  proof  that  it  does. 

As  already  noted,  there  is  no  evidence  of  epidemic  among 
the  wild  Lynxes  to  account  for  their  periodic  disappearance. 

Those  who  have  the  opportunity  of  conducting  post 
mortem  examinations  on  the  bodies  of  Lynxc.  can  render 
good  service  by  recording  in  full  their  condition,  as  it  is  probable 
that  the  Lynx  may  be  temporary  host  of  a  parasite  that  finds 
Its  hnal  and  fatal  development  in  the  Rabbit. 

The  specimen  from  which  I  made  the  drawing  of  feet 
(Fig.  1 86)  died  of  sunstroke  in  the  New  York  Zoological  Park. 

Like  all  cats,  the  Lynx  is  scrupulously  clean.     Menagerie  sanita. 
specimens  usually  set  apart  one  corner  of  the  cage  for  the  "'''' 

"Labrador  Peninsula,  1863,  Vol.  I,  pp.  59-60. 


?*. 


696 


Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 


cesspool  department,  and  wild  Lynxes  are  said  to  bury  their 
dung  like  cats,  but  of  this  I  have  no  conclusive  evidence. 

CURIOUS  An  interesting  kind  of  commensalism  has  been  noted  in 

rHrre'*^"the  Lynx  life.  Linklater  tells  me  that  he  has  seen  a  horned 
owl  and  a  Lynx  together  working  a  Rabbit  woods,  the  owl 
hovering  around  the  outskirts  to  pick  up  the  Rabbits  as  the 
Lynx  routed  them  out.  Of  course,  in  this  case  we  must  sup- 
pose that  the  owl  was  a  parasite  that  the  Lynx  was  helping 
unwittingly.  But  the  same  sort  of  thing  is  seen  with  various 
hawks;  nor  do  they  follow  only  the  four-legged  hunters,  but 
will  impudently  try  to  utilize  the  terror  spread  by  the  gunner 
and  sometimes,  forgetting  themselves,  come  within  range,  to  be 
added  to  the  common  bag. 


USE  TO 
MAN 


FLESH 


This  animal  is  very  easily  caught  by  any  of  the  usual 
methods  of  fur-taking,  therefore  the  simplest — the  snare — is 
most  in  use.  In  trapping  it  the  half-breeds  often  use  a  lure 
or  charm  made  of  beaver-musk,  oil  of  rhodium,  asafoetida, 
and  filings  from  the  corn  on  the  inside  of  a  '  arse's  front-leg. 
How  far  the  practice  is  founded  on  mere  ^  rstition  I  can- 
not say. 

This  bait  is  set  on  a  forked  stick  surrounded  by  a  little  fence 
with  one  opening.  At  the  opening  a  noose  of  wire  or  cord  is  set 
1 8  inches  from  the  ground  and  fast  to  a  short,  thick  stick.  A 
Lynx  coming  to  sniff  the  lure  is  caught  in  the  noose;  it  tightens 
as  he  retires.  He  tugs  till  he  is  strangled,  or,  climbing  a  tree 
to  get  rid  of  it,  he  is  haii^ed  through  the  crosspiece  catching 
in  the  branches. 

The  steel  trap  and  deadfall  also  are  used,  and  in  regions 
where  Lynxes  are  abundant  some  hunters  keep  dogs  trained 
to  tree  and  hold  them  till  the  gunner  can  approach  and  use 
his  fire-arms. 

Its  flesh  is  a  regular  article  of  diet  in  the  North-west.  On 
the  occasion  when  I  tried  it  I  found  it  white  and  well-flavoured 
but  was  debarred — by  prejudice,  I  suppose — from  enjoying 


MfeMH 


Canada  Lynx 


697 


TION 


my  meal  of  cat,  in  spite  of  the  Hibernian  dictum  that  a  Lynx 
is  nothmg  but  an  animated  Rabbit,  anyway. 

That   the    Lynx    population    fluctuates   greatly   is  well  miora- 
known  to  all  trappers  and  fur-traders— but  does  the  species  ^"" 
migrate?    J.  K.  McDonald,  after  tnirty-five  years  oi    srvice 
in  the  fur  country  as  a  Hudson  Bay  trader,  writes  me: 

"  It  is  accepted  as  a  matter  beyond  cavil  by  all  Hudson 
Bay  hunters,  that  the  Hare,  Lynx,  and  Marten  do  migrate, 
and  the  fluctuation  in  their  numbers  is  not  considered  to  be 
caused  by  epidemics— save  in  the  case  of  the  Hare.  Were  it 
so  With  the  Lynx,  for  instance,  their  bodies  would  surely  be 
found,  yet  I  have  not  heard  of  such  a  thing.  It  is  always  the 
case  that  when  Lynx  and  Marten  are  plentiful,  so  are  the 
Hares,  and  I  am  inclined  to  think  that  the  former  is  the  cause, 
at  least  to  a  large  extent;  as  they  are  known  to  destroy  the 
smaller  mammals  that  prey  on  the  Hares.  Thus  an  influx 
in  Lynxes  causes  such  a  decrease  in  other  fur-bearing  animals 
that  the  fur-traders  look  upon  it  as  a  disaster. 

"These  periodical  waves  of  increase  or  decrease  cover 
large  tracts  of  country,  and  it  might  be  found  that  where  in  one 
tract  they  were  moving  east,  in  another  they  were  going  west." 

George  Linklater  and  Miles  Spencer,  nortnern  hunters 
of  life-long  experience,  reiterate  the  theory  of  migration. 

The  former  tells  me  that  at  Green  Lake,Ont.,  Lynxes  were 
so  plentiful  during  the  winters  from  1888  to  1890  that  he  took 
in  300  pelts  each  season  at  the  Hudson  Bay  post.  They 
then  nearly  all  disappeared,  and  for  three  winters  he  took  in 
only  30  to  35  pelts  a  seaso...  At  the  same  time  they  appeared 
in  great  numbers  at  Lake  Temagaming,  200  miles  away, 
where  they  had  been  very  scarce,  and  for  some  years  several 
hundred  pelts  were  brought  in  each  winter,  instead  of  20  or 
30.  At  the  time  of  this  change  he  saw  many  Lynx  tracks 
pointing  eastward  from  Green  Lake  towards  Temagaming, 
and  one  day  followed  a  band  of  half  a  dozen  for  many  miles. 
They  were  not  hunting,  but  travelling,  and  so  close  together 
that  he  could  not  be  sure  if  there  were  5  or  6  of  them.    There 


PLUCTU- 
ATIONS 


6J>8  Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 

was  plenty  of  food  at  both  places,  and  no  disease  among  the 
Lynxes,  so  it  was  impossible  to  say  why  they  went,  only  he 
was  quite  certain  that  they  JiJ  go. 

A  great  deal  of  evidence  of  this  sort  could  be  presented.  T^-. 
trappers  generally  agree  that  the  Lynx  is  migratory  and  tha.  .t 
follows  the  White-rabbit.  The  Rabbit,  however,  Joes  not  mi- 
grate, so  we  may  understand  this  to  mean  that  the  Lynxes  seek 
out  the  regions  where  the  White-rabbit  abounds.  But  an  unex- 
pected difficulty  arises.  If  the  Lynx  population  merely  shifted, 
the  aggregate  fur  returns  of  the  entire  country  would  not 
change,  for  the  trappers  cover  the  whole  region  every  year. 

After  spending  a  life-time  as  fur-trader,  Roderick  Mac- 
Farlanc  discusses  the  question  as  follows:"  "This  is  one  of 
the  principal  periodic  fur-bearing  animals  which  regularly 
increase  and  decrease  in  numbers  about  every  decade.  The 
experience  of  observers,  largely  corroborated  by  the  Company's 
London  sales,  is  pretty  much  as  follows:  The  catch  of  Lynxes 
for  each  (say)  three  seasons,  when  they  are  least  numerous,  or 
rather  comparatively  scarce,  fell  sometimes  as  low  as  4,000  or 
5,000  skins,  as  the  entire  output  for  the  immense  extent  of 
territory  covered  by  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company's  business 
operations.  The  fourth  year  would  double  these  quantities, 
the  fifth  often  more  than  doubled  the  fourth,  the  sixth  doubled 
the  fifth,  while  the  seventh  almost  invariably  witnessed  the 
maximum  trade  of  skins.  The  eighth  would  still  be  good, 
while  the  ninth  and  tenth  would  each  exhibit  a  startling  de- 
cline in  the  returns,  which  in  quantity  would  closely  corre- 
spond with  the  sixth  and  fifth  years,  respectively,  in  each 
decade.  *  *  *" 

A  clear  idea  of  the  wax  and  wane  of  the  Lynx  population 
is  found  in  Alexander  Henry's"  Journal  in  the  Upper  Red  River 
in  the  Years  1800  to  1808."  The  old  fur-trader  thus  records'* 
the  Lynx  skins  taken  in  the  successive  seasons  at  20,  67,  194, 
167,  38,  o,  4,  and  4. 

»  Mam.  N.  W.  Ter.,  Proc.  U.  S.  N.  M.,  igos,  pp.  691-2. 
"  Journal,  1897,  pp.  184,  198,  2ji,  245,  259,  aSi,  422,  440. 


■m 


Canada  Lynx 

These,  then,  are  the  conclusions  presented: 
(rt)  The  Lynx  population  rises  and  falls  in  cycles  of  about 
ten  years,  and  when  at  its  maximum  may  be  as  much  as  ten- 
fold the  minimum. 

(b)  There  is  no  evidence  that  the  decrease  is  due  to  epi- 
demic disease. 

(c)  There  is  evidence  of  local  migrations,  but  not  of  a 
kmd  to  explain  the  great  changes. 

(</}  After  studying  the  problem  on  the  ground,  I  feel  no 
doubt  that  the  decrease  is  due  to  starvation  through  failure  of 
the  Rabbits;  and  the  story  is  grimly  and  silently  told  by 
Irequent  wasted  bodies  exposed  in  the  woods  when  spring- 
time melts  the  snow,  as  I  myseK  witnessed  on  the  upper  waters 
ot  the  Mackenzie  in  the  summer  of  1907. 

The  fur  of  the  Lynx  is  a  staple  of  North-western  trade,  fur 
Ihe  number  annually  exported  by  the  Hudson's  Bay  Com- 
pany has  long  oscillated  between  4,000  and  75,000;  1896  was 
a  high-water  year  the  export  being  56,407;  1900  was  the  low 
ebb,  the  number  having  fallen  to  4.473:  since  then  the  usual 
increase  has  continued,  and  1905  must  have  been  near  high 
tide,  for  m  the  .906  sales  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company  had 
58791  skms.  At  the  previous  sale  Lampson's  disposed  of 
2^1,521  skins,  or,  m  round  numbers.  80,000  skins  were  taken 

Poland's  lists,"  however,  show  that  the  other  American  fur 
companies  collect  about  7,000  per  annum,  with  little  variation,         " 
and  that,  taking  the  whole   continent,  an  average  of  about 
io,ocx)  Lynx  are  killed  each  year  for  their  fur 

in  M  *^  ^°".'^°"  ^"""^'  ^"^  '^''^'^  '^^'d  at  C.  M.  Lampson's 
m  March  1906,  7,737  Lynx  skins  were  sold.  The  highest 
pr  ces  realized  were  60  shillings  ($,4.40)  each  for  4  superb 
blue  skins;  30  shillings  to  35  shillings  ($7.20  to  $8.40)  were 
more  usual  prices  for  first-class  skins,  from  which  they  graded 
down  to  about  10  shillings  (S2.40)  for  those  of  third-cla!^ 

'■'  Fur-bearing  Animals,  London,  1893. 


SIZE 


COLOUR 


XXXI. 

Kit-fox  or  Swift. 

Vulpes  velox  (Say). 
(L.  Vulpes,  see  ante;  velox,  swift.) 

Canis  velox  Say,  1823,  Long's  Exped.  Rky.  Mts.,  I,  p.  487. 
Fulpes  velox  AuD.  &  Bach.,  1851,  Quad.  N.  A.,  II,  p.  13. 
Type  Locality. — Vicinity  of  Cherry  Creek,  Laramie 
County,  Wyo. 

French  Canadian,  le  Re'nard  des  prairies,  ou  vif. 
Yankton  Sioux,  Taghn-kay-ha. 
Ogallala   Sioux,  Mee-yah'-chah. 

The  Canidce  or  Dog  Family  comprises  digitigrade  car- 
nivores of  large  size;  they  have  blunt,  non-retractile  claws; 
bushy  tails;  pointed  muzzles;  toes,  5  in  front,  4  behind;  teeth, 
42  or  more. 

In  addition  to  the  characteristics  of  the  genus  Vulpes  (see 
p.  706),  the  Kit-fox  has: 

Length,  26  inches  (660  mm.);  tail,  9  inches  (228  mm.); 
hind-foot,  4  inches  (102  mm.). 

A  full-grown  specimen,  from  Medicine  Hat,  Sask., 
weighed  4^  pounds. 

General  colour,  pale  buffy-yellow,  becoming  a  deeper  yel- 
lowish-brown on  the  bark  of  the  ears  across  the  lower  neck,  on 
the  outside  of  fore-legs  and  back  of  h-.nd-legs;  below,  it  is 
nearly  white;  on  each  side  of  the  snout  is  a  black  spot;  the 
back  is  covered  with  a  beautiful  silvery-gray  mantle  in  which 
the  gray-brown  under-fur  is  peppered  and  frosted  over  with 
conspicuous  white  and  inconspicuous  black  tips  of  the  long 
hairs;  this  silver-tipping  is  continued  onto  the  snout.  The 
tail  is  warm  yellowish-gray  above;  strong  yellowish  below;  the 

700 


>! 


PLATE  L.— LIFE  STUDIES   OF  VARIOUS   F0XF.8. 
11)  E.  T.  Selon. 


'  V 


, 


11        I 


ir 


is 


If 
I 


[ 


Kit-fox  701 

tail-tip  is  black.    The  tail-gland  is  marked  by  a  black  spot,  as 
in  the  other  species.     There  is  no  black  on  the  ears. 

It  may  be  distinguished  from  its  nearest  relative,  the  Big- 
eared  Swift,  by  its  yellower  colour  and  shorter  ears. 

Two  races  are  recognized : 

velox  Say,  the  typical  form. 

hebes  Merriam,  larger,  paler,  and  grayer. 

Life-history. 

This  diminutive  Fox,  no  larger  than  a  house  cat,  is  a  range 
characteristic  native  of  the  Saskatchewan  or  upper  Campestrian 
region. 

In  Manitoba  it  was  formerly  found  in  the  Pembina  Hills 
and  westward  to  the  Souris,  Alexander  Henry,  trading  on  the 
Red  River  in  1800-8,  had  one  or  two  Kits  brought  to  him 
from  Pembina  Hills,  or,  as  he  calls  them.  Hair  Hills,  nearly 
every  season;  one  year,  1804-5,  he  had  57;  of  these,  26  were 
from  Pembina  Hills  and  31  from  Salt  River.'  In  1873,  Dr.  E. 
Coues  found*  Kit-foxes  common  along  the  Souris  River  at  the 
Boundary  Trail. 

These  are  all  the  Manitoba  records  I  can  find,  and  since 
then  the  species  sees  to  have  disappeared  from  the  Province, 
though  it  still  abounds  along  the  Saskatchewan  and  westward 
to  the  mountains. 


It  is  strictly  a  prairie     i-mal,  harbouring  in  burrows  and  envi 
never  venturing  far  fro  ,  so  that  it  is  the  most  subter 

ranean  of  our  Foxes. 


RON- 
MENT 


Nothing  is  known  01  ita  mating,  beyond  the  fact  that  the  mating 
creature  pairs,  and  that  the  pair  continue  together  all  summer, 
probably  for  life,  as  the  male  is  active  in  the  care  of  the  young. 

'  Journal  1897,  p.  459. 

•  United  States  Geol.  Surv.,  1878,  Vol.  IV,  BuU.  3,  Art.  XXV,  p.  547. 


r^ 


:   :1 


DENS 


702 


Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 


One  of  my  guides,  Lee  Hampleman,  of  Meeker,  Colo., 
tells  me  that  in  1897,  when  on  Pawnee  Creek,  Colo.,  he 
found  a  Swift's  den.  It  was  reached  by  a  tunnel  about  9  feet 
long  and  was  5  feet  from  the  surface.  The  chamber  was 
nicely  lined  with  grass  and  contained  5  young  ones.  'Just 
the  cutest,  prettiest  things  he  ever  saw.' 


Fn;.  iSS— Study  iif  Kit-f.)i  in  Philadelphia  Zoo,  August,  iS«<i. 

These  were  taken  home  to  the  ranch  and  easily  raised,  but 
they  never  became  tame.  Both  parents  were  seen  about  the 
den. 

Prof.  John  Macoun  relates  that  in  Alberta.  June  16,  1895, 
he  saw  2  old  Kits  and  5  young  sitting  on  a  prairie  knoll.  His 
dog  rushed  at  them;  the  young  dived  into  a  hole,  and  the 
parents  busied  themselves  leading  the  dog  elsewhere. 

An  interesting  account  of  a  pair  of  Kits  that  lived  near  his 
ranch  house,  has  been  given  me  by  R.  W.  Cowan,  of  Cochrane, 
Alta.  They  were  such  beautiful  and  playful  creatures  that  he 
rather  encouraged  them  until  they  began  to  kill  chickens, 
whereupon  they  fell  from  favour,  and  paid  the  extreme  penalty. 
The  family  consisted  of  2  old  ones  and  5  young.  The  latter 
began  to  run  in  the  month  of  May.     The  old  ones  were  seen 


MAP  40— RANGE  OF  THE  NORTH  AMERICAN  KIT-FOXES. 

The  (oUowinf  tpcciM  «■•  rcco(ni»d : 
Yulaa  mIox  {Suj), 
Vulptt  maciaUM  MerrUm, 

703 


Vultn  motkiK  MerrUm, 
Viilpa  anlpui  Bliot 


If 

■r 


'.^ 


rooD 


SPEED 


704  Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 

together  the  year  around,  and  during  May  the  father  certainly 
lived  in  the  den  with  the  family. 

These  Alberta  Kits  were  known  to  prey  largely  on  Mice, 
and  when  there  was  snow  on  the  ground  they  several  times 
showed  great  cleverness  in  catching  the  prairie-chickens  that 
slept  in  the  soft  drifts. 

At  one  time  the  Swift  was  believed  to  be  the  speediest 
four-foo»  on  the  Plains.    This,  however,  proves  to  be  an  error. 


UNSUS- 

PICIOUS- 

NESS 


Fig.  189— Life  study  o(  the  Alfeiiu  Kii-foz. 

It  is  very  swift,  no  doubt,  but  a  small  animal  always  appears  to 
be  going  faster  than  it  really  is,  and  the  rapidity  with  which  it 
gets  up  speed  and  disappears  into  a  hole,  when  startled,  helps 
to  give  a  wrong  impression  of  its  velocity.  In  the  scale  of  speed 
I  should  place  it  a  little  higher  than  the  Coyote. 

It  is  the  least  cunning  of  our  Foxes,  so  unsuspicious  that 
it  readily  takes  the  poisoned  baits  so  much  used  nowadays 
for  killing  Coyotes;  and  in  this  we  find  the  reason  for  its  rapid 
disappearance  before  settlement. 

In  captivity  it  is  easily  managed  and  breeds  freely,  yet 
continues  shy.  Audubon  and  Bachman'  relate  of  a  captive 
specimen:  "He  drank  more  water  than  Foxes  generally  do, 
seemed  anxious  to  play  or  wash  in  the  cup  which  held  his  sup- 

•  Quad.  N.  A.,  1849,  Vol.  II,  p.  16. 


Kit-fox 


705 


ply,  jnid  would  frequently  turn  it  over,  spilling  the  water  on  the 
floo'-  rf  >.is  cage." 

One  of  the  Indian  names  of  the  species  is  said  to  mean 
'lousy  iiiing,'  hecause  it  is  pestered  with  lice.  The  fur  is  of 
little  toum.ercial  value.  At  Lampson's  sales  in  London,  1905, 
a  total  of  5,129  Kits  were  sold. 

^  In  the  Match  sale  of  1906,  the  number  fell  to  1,404;  5 
shillings  and  6  pence  ($1.32)  was  the  highest  price  paid,  and  i 
shilling  and  3  pence  (30  cents)  the  lowest. 


■^^s^iz:~i 


r^ 


i 


■'\ 


t       i 


XXXII. 

Royal  Fox,  Prairie  Red-fox  or  Common  Red-fox  of 

Manitoba. 

Vu\pes  regalis  Merriam. 
(L.  Vrdpes,  a  fox;  regalis,  royal,  because  of  its  superb  appearance.) 

Vulpes  regalis  Merriam,  iqcx),  Proc.  Wash.  Acad.  Sci.,  Vol.  II, 
pp.  672-3,  December  28. 
Type  Locality. — Elk  River,  Sherburne  County,  Minn. 

French  Canadian,  le  Renard  royal. 
Cree,  Wah-kus'. 
OjiB.  &  Saut.,  Wah-gush'. 
Chipewyan,  Nak-ee'-they. 
Ogallala  Sioux,  Shung-ka-ge'-lah. 
Yankton  Sioux,  Song-kee-na. 

The  genus  Vulpes  (Brisson,  1762)  comprises  dog-like 
animals  of  small  size,  with  long  bushy  tails  (more  than  half  the 
length  of  the  body) ;  long  soft  fur,  long  sharp  muzzle,  large 
ears;  long,  sharp  semi-retractile  claws;  linear  eye-pupils; 
and  teeth  as  follows: 


T       3-3  i-i  4-4         1  2-2 

Inc.  ^^-^;  can. — ;  prem. -^— ^;  mol. —  =  42. 

z-i        I -I  4-4         z-i 

The  number  is  the  same  as  in  Cants,  but  they  are  different 
in  detail,  as  well  as  much  more  slender  in  general. 

In  addition  to  these  generic  characters,  the  Royal  Fox  has 
the  following: 

706 


Prairie  Red-fox 


707 


Length,  about  44  inches  (1,118  mm.):    tail,   16  inches  size 
^o6  mm  );   hind-foot,  7  inches  (177  mm.).     The  females  are 
about  one-tenth  smaller. 


An  adult  taken 
10  pounds. 


at  Carberry,  October  27,  1884,  weighed 


WEIGHT 


The  general  colour  is  golden-yellow,  very  pale  on  the  hind-  colour 
quarters,  also  on  the  forehead,  where  it  is  sprinkled  with  whitish 
hairs,  and  deepening  on  the  back  into  a  reddish-yellow,  which 
extends  in  a  band  from  shoulder  to  tail;  beginning  behind  the 
shoulder,  th  is  sprinkled  with  whitish  hairs,  giving  a  pinkish 
effect  at  a  sh  rt  distance.  Legs,  dark  buff;  the  black  on  the 
feet,  very  lii  :d  and  mixed  with  whitish  hairs;  outer  half  of 
ears  behind,  black;  tail,  pale  brown  above,  shaded  into  yellow- 
ish below  with  olive  tinge;  tip  of  tail,  belly,  breast,  throat  and 
lower  jaw,  white;  on  chin  and  lower  parts  is  often  seen  dark 
or  black  tinge  in  the  white. 

This  is  indeed  a  flat  enumeration  of  its  flat  tints,  but  gives 
no  conception  of  the  marvellous  colour  beauties  of  its  exquis- 
itely blended  tawny-pinks,  russets,  and  yellow-browns,  set  off 
by  the  old  gold,  dull  silver,  and  shining  ebony  of  its  extremities. 

Black,  Silver,  and  Cross  Foxes  occur  in  this  species;  these  freaks 
forms  are  mere  colour  freaks,  and  may  be  found  in  the  same 
brood  with  those  of  ordinary  colour. 

A  notable  example  of  this  is  given  by  A.  P.  Low.  in  his 
Mammals  of  Labrador,"  as  follows:' 

"On  the  Moose  River,  in  1887,  the  writer  found  a  litter 
contaming  7  Kits:  of  these  2  were  red,  3  were  cross,  and  the 
remaining  2  blacks  or  silver— thus  showing  that  the  colour  of 
l-oxes  no  more  constitutes  varieties  than  does  the  difference 
of  colour  m  a  litter  of  kittens  of  the  common  cat.  There 
appears  to  be  a  greater  proportion  of  dark-coloured  Foxes  in 
the  northern  region  than  in  the  southern." 

'  Mam.  Labrador  Penin.,  Can.  Geol.  Surv.,  i8g6,  p.  314  L. 


sxssi 


1 


IJ  ■  f  ^ 


I 


MAP  41— RANGE  OF  THE  NORTH  AMERICAN  RED-FOXES. 


nii\Zfi'H''rSSflr,?„''nr^?''lJI'i,''M   '^^'i-  •T^''^  ^.^  furthrr  work,  especially  in  the  wuth  and  weit   Anticcti  Aould  have  heen  Un-^. 

Tl»  followtfic  Bit  the  species: 

Vuhn  Mtlrlx  B«Op, 


yahtMfuivuM  (Desmarest). 
r  uuei  m0cfounia  Baird, 
Vuittt*  nteaU^r  Herriun, 
^ulp€$  ca»caJentit  Heniai 


t^ttlptt  tatcadtnsii  iKniaiii, 

!''u/pcj  ruhHcoaa  Bangs,  wiui  a  ncei» 


708 


Ku6u  .1  Jluccnrif  Merriam.  with  a  racM. 
Vuip€*  ktnaiemii  Mrrriam, 
Koteu  harrimmni  Merriam, 
Vulpea  ng^U  Mcniam. 


u 


Prairie  Red-fox 


700 


Another  freak  is  the  'scorched'  or  'Samson  Fox.'  This 
has  no  long  fur,  nothing  but  wool;  the  cause  of  this  is  not 
understood,  and  the  pelt  is  worthless  commercially. 

When  seen  running  on  the  prairie,  the  present  species  ap- 
pears a  large  straw-coloured  animal,  with  black  boots,  and 
enormous  -ars  and  tail. 

All  Manitoba  specimens  hitherto  examined  belong  to  the 
species  regalis,  but  it  is  quite  likely  that  in  the  north  fulvus  will 
be  found: 

Fulpes  fulvus  (Dcsm.)  may  be  distinguished  when  alive 
by  its  much  smaller  size,  general  deeper  and  intenser  colours, 
the  greater  amount  of  black  on  the  ears  and  on  each  leg,  and 
the  black  spot  on  the  base  of  the  tail  above. 

Cranially,  also,  they  are  well  apart;  the  bullae  of  regalis 
being  much  larger  in  proportion,  etc. 


Life-history. 

So  far  as  known,  this  Fox  has  a  very  limited  range  and  range 
is  confined  to  the  nrairie  country  and  adjoining  woods.  In 
Manitoba  it  is  founc'  in  all  the  south  and  west  parts,  on  the 
open  prairie,  in  the  poplar  and  pond  country,  and  in  much  of 
the  spruce  country.  Its  favourite  localities  are  the  half-open 
regions— there  are,  indeed,  very  few  creatures  that  like  the 
sunless  depths  of  unbroken  forests.  The  great  belt  of  half- 
timbered  country  from  Roseau  River  to  Dawson  Bay  probably 
produces  more  Foxes  than  any  other  part  of  the  Province,  and 
in  this  they  especially  affect  localities  that  are  broken  by  low 
hills  and  ravines,  or  that  are  close  to  marshes  and  cover. 

It  would  be  safe  to  estimate  that  in  the  days  fio...  1880  to  abdn- 
1890  there  were  2  pairs  of  Foxes  to  every  township  of  this  great  ^'^^^ 
belt,  with  half  as  many  for  the  rest  of  the  country.     The 
number  of  fox-tracks  across  any  section  of  prairie  within  three 
days  of  fresh  snow  made  this  easy  to  believe.     According  to 
these  data,  there  wire  at  least  5,000  Foxes  in  Manitoba. 


I  i 


"    i 


I>fDIVID- 

UAL 

RANGE 


710         Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 

That  this  is  not  an  overestimate  will  appi  on  netting 
the  facts  side  by  side  with  those  supplied  in  the     )l(i  ( '  )unfry.' 

After  consulting  many  of  my  hunting  friends,  1  K.  m  that 
about  11,000  Foxes  are  killed  each  year  before  the  h«)unds  in 
Great  Britain;  while  the  destruction  by  keepers,  etc.,  at  least 
doubles  the  number  destroyed  annually  on  the  80,000  squar  • 
miles  of  the  British  mainland,  and  would  argue  a  .'pin.- 
population  in  the  autumn  of  fully  40,000,  to  compare  wiia  tiu* 
5,000  that  I  give  as  a  conservative  estimate  of  the  1  ox  s  0, 
Manitoba's  74,000  square  miles. 

Most  observers  testify  that  Foxes  are  growing  ics  luirei- 
ous  in  the  Province.  This  is  generally  traced  direcr!  i  >  r.\c 
increase  of  Coyotes;  which  does  not  necessarily  me;.n  attu;il 
conflict  of  the  two,  but  that  the  changing  conditions  have  st\ 
up  new  problems  of  life  which  the  Coyotes  have  been  better 
able  to  solve. 

The  rate  of  increase  among  the  Blue-foxes  of  St.  George 
Island,  Bering  Sea,  will  help  us  to  gauge  the  increase  of  Red- 
foxes.  This  island,  about  36  square  miles,  has  about  270  pairs 
of  foxes,  and,  although  they  are  fed  and  protected  and  the 
species  has  5  to  1 2  in  a  litter,  not  more  than  400  to  500  can 
be  marketed  each  year  without  reducing  the  stock.' 

The  fur  returns  (given  later)  show  an  annual  catch  of 
74,000  Red-foxes  with  marketable  coats.  Considering  other 
destruction  and  their  rate  of  increase,  this,  I  take  it,  assures  a 
wild  stock  of  at  least  500,000,  possibly  1,000,000,  on  the 
range  covered  by  the  Red-fox  group. 

The  home-locality  of  the  individual  Fox  is,  I  think,  not 
more  than  5  miles  across.  Ordinarily,  it  does  not  range  so 
far,  but,  under  unusual  stress  oJ  famine,  will  cover  even  a  larger 
area. 

The  evidence  is— that  when  pursued  bv  dogs  the  Fox 
u.sually  circles  at  a  radius  of  2  or  3  miles,  differing,  of  course, 
with  the  character  of  the  country;  also  that  a  number  of  well- 

•See  James  Jud^e  on   Blue-foxos  of  the  Pribilof  Islands'   Rep.  Am    Breeders' 
Assoc.,  Vol.  V,  1909,  p.  338. 


Prairie  Red- fox 


711 


known  Foxes,  8U(  h  as  the  'M.  'logany  Fi'\'  of  Hirt-ord, 
'Baldy'  ot  f"  ikclcy,  the  '  lilack  !  \'  of  Bl..cktail  C're<-k, 
were  known  and   watched    for  ont  more  vtars  and  usu- 

ally found  >Aithiii      ui  4  milt    of  il    .r  rcputrd    lead-quuters. 


Fr<     100 — Imprttiic-       -4  «  ¥,.t 

Sctumi  !      Mr.,  ',r;t.eG.  Seltni.     r-        i,-ht  fmu; 

Since  writing  tht    ibo\      i     f 
breeder  of  Dover  M.  ine,  ha^  gi\   n  me  the 
tive  information. 


I.  If»-m  life. 

tx*. 

iOn    a 
the 

no''  n  fox- 
uigco      bora- 

In  M.if 
with  their  '■ 
dij;  i  T  out  t 
were    ii^.ippi 
was  not  vvor; 
the  other,  i 
w;is  kille(!  V. 


*'  of  t8^ 

iiiiiii-. 

1   i   ■ 

ed  ! 

■knini. 

n  turned 

lin  4  mi 


h(  ;ind  his  b- 
i  to  ru: 

Ihev  s< 

It  .jr 


thcr     ci       ut  neai  Dover 

1  sh'-  I  ox  to  rarth  and 

had  I    e  holed  up,  but 

K  in  half-shed  coat;   he 


(>  rhc\     ut  tnc  t^p  off  one  car  and  slit 
in     10S        Fiv       ears  afterwards  he 
htic  fir  t      ?v  hi  !  caught  him. 
AtGr.-en     ake,  Ont  a  Silver-fc        a  i..nged  there  for 

a  ..>uple  ot>  ..  My  intormant,  Geoi ,  .  '  inklater,  says  it 
cove^^^  lo  mi  .  or  nc  more  than  15,  of  country,  and  was 
t'    re  t   e  ye;  r  1  ,und. 


11 


ff"^ 


It       » 


I 


I.    . 


1 


/ 


i'^ 


\ 


Fic.  101— Feel  o(  Fox  <  V.  mncftmms'). 

Sketthed  in  Color*du.  Sept    \h,  1903.    r/^right  from ;  r*-inglit  ►'inii  ,  lioth  are  lih  h2«. 

712 


-  i 

fit 


Prairie  Red-fox  7IS 

The  habits  of  the  English  Fox  affirm  this.  AH  the  keepers 
and  hunters  that  I  have  consulted  believe  that  a  Fox  rarely 
goes  more  than  4  or  5  miles  from  home,  except  when  hunted. 

But  in  the  winter  it  roams  over  an  extent  of  country 
probably  two  or  three  times  as  large  as  its  summer  range  A 
black  Fox  that  lived  on  the  'Big  Plain,'  Manitoba,  was  s-.-n 
about  Carberry  as  far  north  as  Petrel,  9  miles,  and  sou'.:*  to  the 
Sandhills,  4  miles.  There  is  no  certainty  that  it  was  the  same 
Fox  but  when  one  was  killed  at  Petrel  it  also  disappeared  at 
Carberry,  and  if  it  had  lived  only  about  Carberry  it  would 
have  been  seen  oftener.  This  seems  to  give  it  a  winter  range 
of  at  least  a  dozen  miles  in  diameter. 

Since  the  relations  of  mates,  or  of  the  young  to  the  parents,  socia. 
are  excluded  m  djscussmg  sociability,  we  must  consider  the  ""^'^ 
Fox  but  slightly  a  sociable  animal.     The  only  detailed  cases 
1  have  of  Foxes  working  together,  refer  to  two  (probably 
mates)  that  were  combining  in  a  hunt. 

This  animal  is  not  much  given  to  social  amusements,  but  amuse- 
Worton  and  Stevens  both  tell  me  that  on  their  fur  farms  in  *"^ 
Mame  ,t  IS  a  common  thing  for  the  Foxes  to  gather  on  moon- 
light nights  and  chase  each  other  about  with  most  uproarious 

bu;t'd-:nit7s^^^^^ '°  "°^  ^^^-  ^°  -p-^  ^^y^^^^^ 

th.nTi?' 'Jfr'r  "'",?'  r'"-''^'"P'^°"«  ^"'^h  less,  I  think,  voice 
ban  the  Wolf  does.  (See  Wolf)  Its  principal  method  of  in ' 
tercommunication  is  doubtless  by  the  voice.  It  has  a  short 
bark  followed  by  a  little  squall  like  ' yap-yurr.'  That  is  the 
sound  oftenest  uttered,  but  it  has  also  a  long  yell  and  two  or 
three  different  yowls  or  screeches  as  well  as  softer  churr-churrs 
that  doubt  ess  have  different  meanings  to  its  kind.  The  W 
of   he  male  is  notably  heavier  and  coarser  than  that  of  his 

In  the  pairing  season  the  she  Fox  utters  a  very  character- 
•Stic  shrill  squall.     The  reply  of  the  male  is  us7al5y  mo  or 


r 


mak 


A  I 


M  ATI  NO 


PAIRING 


f 


7U         Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 

three  short  barks.  In  autumn,  I  have  several  times  known  a 
Fox  come  at  night  around  the  camp-fire  and  'yap'  in  the  man- 
ner of  a  Coyote. 

It  seems  to  be  a  soHtary  animal  during  the  winter,  but  the 
mating  instinct  is  awakened  in  late  February  or  early  March, 
and  then  the  track  in  the  snow  is  often  doubled.  Those  who 
in  New  England  have  followed  it  for  miles  at  this  interesting 
period,  tell  me  that  all  the  chapters  of  romance  are  duly  re- 
corded in  the  snow — the  pursuit,  the  coquetting,  the  conquest, 
even  the  fight  between  rivals,  are  fully  set  forth  in  the  tell-tale 
white. 

These  fights  I  ha\  e  never  witnessed  among  w  ild  free  Foxes, 
but  L.  W.  Walker,  living  in  the  Yellowstone  Park,  writes'  that 
there  they  are  of  daily  occurrence  in  late  winter,  and  the  part 
played  by  the  tail  is  quite  important.  When  the  rivals  ap- 
proach each  other  with  hostile  intent,  they  stand  sidewise  with 
the  tail  raised  and  pointing  forward  over  the  back,  ready  for 
use  as  a  parry  or  as  a  feint;  dashing  it  in  the  eyes  of  his  foe, 
the  Fox  distracts  attention  or  prevents  him  seeing  >/  a  mo- 
ment, during  which  time  he  tries  to  gain  some  advantage. 

Thomas  Anderson,  of  Fort  Smith,  Hudson  Bay  Post,  tells 
me  of  a  curious  occurrence  that  he  witnessed  at  Poplar  Lodge 
River,  on  the  east  side  of  Nipigon  Lake,  early  in  March,  1896. 
As  he  drove  his  dog-train  around  a  point  he  came  on  a  pair  of 
Foxes  accoupl'e.  Supposing  that  he  could  easily  secure  both, 
he  set  his  dogs  after  them,  but  they  turned  their  heads  one  way 
and  raced  off  side  by  side,  allowing  no  stick  or  sapling  to  come 
between  them;  and  thanks  partly  to  a  slight  crust,  they  left  the 
dogs  far  behind  and  escaped,  without  parting  company. 

There  can  be  little  doubt  that  this  Fox  truly  pairs.  I  have 
never  seen  or  heard  of  more  than  two  full-grown  Foxes  together 
in  .Manitoba,  but  this  I  have  often  seen,  and  have  heard  of 
times  without  number.  Many  observers,  among  them  W.  R. 
Hine,  have  found  the  home  in  cubbing  time,  and  in  each  case 

'  Recreation  Magazine,  May,  1897,  p.  339. 


.v^ 


V  \ 


i« 


'     Ti 


Prairie  Red-fox 


ns 


both  parents  were  about;  it  seems  quite  certain  that  the  father 
takes  an  active  interest  in  the  young  and  helps  to  care  for  them. 
All  of  which  tends  to  prove  that  our  Foxes  pair. 

The  argument  of  analogy  is  also  in  line,  for  I  have  ob- 
served that  in  Ontario  both  parents  (f^.  fulvus)  take  active 
care  of  the  young.  In  Maine,  E.  Norton  says,  the  male  Fox 
has  as  much  to  do  with  raising  the  family  as  the  mother  has. 
A  veteran  fox-hunter  (J.  H.  Whitcomb)  writes  me  from 
Ayer,  Mass.,  on  April  3,  1909:  "A  day  or  two  ago  I  saw  a 
fox-den  where  I  think  there  were  young  ones,  and  close  by  in 
the  sand  a  Skunk  half  buried.  I  suppose  it  was  for  madam,  to 
save  her  from  hunting." 

In  Wales,  as  T.  W.  Proger  writes  me,  the  male  Fox  is  a 
faithful  partner,  bnnging  food  to  the  female  while  she  is  suck- 
hng  the  young,  and  has  a  great  affection  for  his  offspring,  shar- 
ing with  their  mother  the  labour  of  feeding  and  caring  for  them. 
A  touching  case  of  this  paternal  devotion  was  sent  mc 
later  by  this  same  naturalist: 

"Last  spring  our  old  keeper  destroyed  a  litter  of  young 
cubs  and  stopped  them  into  the  earth.  Four  days  afterwards 
the  old  dog  Fox  came  right  up  to  the  earth  and  began  to  open 
It  out  again,  I  concluded,  to  seek  his  cubs,  but  he  was  caught  in 
a  trap  which  the  man  had  set  near  the  blocked-up  entrance. 

"I  think  this  is  very  strong  proof  that  the  dog  Fox  has 
affection  for  his  young,  because  he  knew  very  well  that  the  trap 
was  set  there  on  the  first  night  after  the  deed  was  done,  but  his 
strong  desire  to  find  the  cubs  overcame  his  habitual  caution  " 
In  view  of  the  evidence  direct  and  by  analogy,  I  think  we 
are  safe  to  believe  that  in  life  and  manners  the  Manitoba  Fox 
is  as  good  as  its  near  kin. 

Granting  the  pairing,  the  next  question  is  whether  it  is 
for  the  season  or  for  life.  There  is  much  evidence  of  Foxes 
consorting  m  pairs  after  the  breeding  season,  and  this  points 
to  union  for  life.  The  consensus  of  opinion  among  hunters 
and  naturalists,  according  to  Dr.  Woods  Hutchinson,'  agrees 
With  this  conclusion.  ^ 

*  Animal  Marriage,  Cotem.  Review,  October,  1904,  pp.  485-496. 


mmtm 


MiiiHi 


r* 


I  111 


r 


ti; 


DEN 


716         Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 

The  den,  or  '  earth,'  is  the  nursery  of  the  Fox.  Although 
used  chiefly  while  the  cubs  are  nursing,  there  are  cases  to  show 
that  some  Foxes  live  at  home  the  whole  year  round. 

It  is  approached  by  a  burrow  of  9  to  12  inches  calibre, 
usually  on  the  sunny  side  of  a  hill  or  bank.  Sometimes  the 
Foxes  make  it  themselves;  sometimes  they  adapt  one  that  they 
find. 

A  fox-den  which  I  examined  on  a  wooded  hill,  near  To- 
ronto, had  two  or  three  entrances.    This  was  m.ade  like  the 


il,.-nA 


Fig.  103 


-Side  view  or  flcvitioo,  and  plu  of  the  fcn^dcn  opened  by  Geo.  L.  Fordyor. 


home  of  a  Chipmunk,  that  is,  all  the  earth  was  scratched  out  of 
one  hole,  though  there  were  several  doorways.  Those  chiefly 
in  use  had  no  earth-pile  about  them  to  make  them  conspicuous. 
Indeed,  one  might  have  been  within  ten  feet  without  suspecting 
their  presence. 

I  have,  however,  seen  many  newly  made  fox-dens  which 
had  no  earth-pile  whatever,  though  the  tunnel  was  fully  ten 
feet  deep.  Evidently  the  Fox  had  disposed  of  the  earth  by 
scattering  it. 

The  nest  is  made  in  a  dry  chamber  a  dozen  or  more  feet 
from  the  door,  and  is  sometimes  lined  with  a  little  dry  grass. 


Prairie  Red-fox 


717 


George  L.  Fordycc*  writes  me  that  in  northern  New  York 
State  he  once  found  a  fox-den  in  a  hollow  log,  another  in  the 
base  of  a  hollow  standing  tree,  and  yet  another  in  the  ground, 
apparently  dug  by  the  old  Fox.  This  was  as  here  showii 
(Fig.  192).  It  consisted  of  two  separate  parts,  the  den  and  a 
store-room,  with  a  quantity  of  food. 

"I  think  [he  says]  this  was  originally  a  Woodchuck  uen, 
which  the  old  Fox  enlarged.  I  have  double-lined  the  Wood- 
chuck  part.  Both  the  store-room  and  the  sleeping  room  seem 
to  have  been  made  by  the  Fox. 

"  The  air-shaft  was  one  of  the  Woodchuck  entrances.   The  veoti- 
Foxes  had  only  one,  but  this  was  the  only  fox-house  I  ever  knew  '^"°'' 
that  did  not  have  two  or  three  different  doors. 

"There  was  no  bed  or  lining  anywhere,  just  the  clean  clean- 
sandy  clay  m  which  the  tunnel  was  made.    I  noticed  in  partic-  "'^ 
ular  also  that  there  was  no  excrement  or  offal  of  any  kind  any- 
where in  the  den.     In  fact,  everything  was  decidedly  clean  and 
t  jdy,  though,  of  course,  there  was  the  Fox  odour.     Some  bones 
feathers,  and  one  or  two  lamb's  legs  were  found  on  the  pile  of 
dirt  that  had  been  thrown  out  in  making  the  tunnel.    There 
were,  however,  but  few  there,  and  I  am  inclined  to  believe  that 
they  were  perhaps  brought  out  and  left  there  by  the  young 
and  would  have  soon  been  carried  away  by  the  old  Foxes! 
This  IS  a  mere  guess  on  my  part,  but  it  is  very  certain 
that  the  leavings  at  the  den  did  not  represent  more  than 
two  or  three  days'  meals.     The  scarcity  of  garbage  about 
the  den  and  the  remarkable  neatness  of  all  indoors,  make 
me  believe  that  the  old  ones  habitually  carry  away  the  dung 
and  rubbish."  * 


The  period  of  gestation  is  now  known  to  be  51  days. 

The  young  are  born  about  the  first  of  April  and  number 
from  4  to  9.  N.  E.  Skinner,  of  Winnipeg,  tells  me,  that  at 
Wmnipegosis  he  found  a  Black-fox  that  had  young  so  early 

•  Of  Voungstown,  Ohio.    Letter,  April  14,  1905. 


YOUNO 


.f^'T 


Ti^iiMi'tlWi" 


T 


!        i 


•  'yi 


ll! 


?    f-- 


\     ^' 


718         Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 

in  the  season  that  the  mother's  pelt  was  prime,  bringing  $75, 
though  the  young  were  big  enough  to  rear  by  hand. 

The  cubs  are  clad  in  lead-coloured  fur  and  look  as  much 
like  kittens  as  Foxes  when  they  come.  They  are  blind  till 
8  or  9  days  old.  They  do  not  venture  out  of  doors  till  they 
are  three  or  four  weeks  old,  and  the  den  continues  to  be  their 
only  home  for  3  months. 

Fordyce  sends  me  also  the  following  interesting  notes  on 
the  Fox  family  that  he  observed  near  Auburn,  N.  Y.:     "One 
!.  orning  in  the  end  of  March,  1877,  a  man  came  to  the  store 
in  the  country  village  where  I  lived  and  said  that  while  cc  ling 
across  the  fields  of  a  neighbour,  an  old  Fox  had  jumped  out  of 
a  hole  in  a  tree  near  which  he  was  passing  and  run  away  bark- 
ing.    I  overheard  what  he  was  saying,  and  as  it  was  the  same 
wood-lot  in  which  I  had  found  the  two  young  Foxes  the  previ- 
ous June,  I  at  once  thought  there  might  be  some  cubs  in  the 
tree.     I  starte     .ut  across  the  fields  and  'back-tracked'  the 
man,  there  bei  g  snow  on  the  ground,  until  I  came  to  the  place 
where  he  had  stopped.     The  tree  was  a  standing  basswood 
about  four  ^eet  in  diameter.     The  Fox-track  led  from  the  hole 
at  the  base  of  the  tree,  but  no  track  came  to  it.    As  it  had 
snowed  the  night  before,  this  indicated  that  the  old  one  had 
gone  in  before  the  snow-storm,  and  remained  there  until  the 
man  had  frightened  her  away.     I  reached  into  the  hole  and 
found  that  the  hollow  diameter  of  the  tree  was  about  two  feet. 
I  felt  a  warm  bunch  of  little  creatures,  one  of  which  I  pulled 
out,  looked  at,  and,  as  I  had  expected,  it  was  a  young  Fox. 
I  then  removed  my  coat,  laid  it  on  the  snow  beside  the  tree,  to 
put  them  on  a  warm  spot,  and  took  out  the  others,  9  in  all. 
The  little  creatures  did  not  look  unlike  new-born  kittens,  but 
were  about  twice  as  large.     Their  eyes  were  not  open,  and  I 
do  not  think,  from  their  condition,  they  were  more  than  one 
or  two  days  old.     I  selected  one  of  the  lot  and  took  it  home  to 
raise,  but,  having  no  way  to  feed  it  prroperly,  it  died  within  a  few 
days.     I  then  followed  the  track  which  the  old  Fox  ?-id  made 
when  the  man  had  frightened  her  away  from  the  tree.    She 
had  run  directly  to  a  hilltop,  nearly  a  quarter  of  a  mile  away, 


si- 


Prairie  Red-fox  719 

and  there  stopped  to  watch  him.     I  followed  her  track  farther 
and  found  where  she  had  stopped  many  other  places   and 
finally,  where  she  had  stood  on  a  high  stump  and  probably 
watched  me  while  I  was  at  the  tree  looking  at  her  young.     In 
fact,  I  believe  she  had  watched  me  from  this  stump  while  I  had 


pen 


"  "'-^  -  '"■^^"^^/^•d&.-^rii-^r-  -  ^  -^ — '« 


been  following  her  trail,  because  her  tracks  showed  that  she 
th 'ope^clfr^  '"'^  '^°"  '''  ^""^^  ''''''''  '-^'  '-'^ 

and  thlvn.rn'''^  """'"'"^  '  Z?' '°  '^"^  ''^'^  «°«"  ^ft"  daylight 
and  tinrtn^.r''  ^°"'t  ^^"'  ^^'  ^  ""^'^  ^^  ^^^^^s  coming 
and  gomg  to  th.  tree.    I  started  out  to  follow  them   settling 

acrun7oT:tr''^'  V°"°-^^  ^'^'^  --d-ble  difficu^  of 
S.  °f°»her  tracks  crossing  it,  but  I  finally  succeeded  in 
locatmg  the  den  into  which  she  had  carried  them.     It  was  an 


r-" 


'■  "J 


FATHER 


7«0         Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 

old  burrow  in  a  hillside  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  from  the  tree. 
In  going  back  and  forth  she  had  gone  over  a  different  route  each 
time,  sometimes  far  out  from  a  direct  line  on  either  side,  and 
sometimes  far  beyond.  The  number  of  tracks  showed  that 
she  had  carried  the  young  one  at  a  time.  For  the  next  two  or 
three  months  I  went  to  the  locality  of  the  den  frequently,  and 
occasionally,  trom  a  distance,  would  see  the  young  Foxes  out 
playing  in  the  sunlight.  When  I  attempted  to  steal  nearer  to 
them,  I  would  invariably  hear  the  old  one  give  a  bark  or  two 
from  some  place  on  the  hill,  which  was  a  signal  for  the  cubs 
to  disappear  into  one  of  the  holes.  About  July  i,  wnen  the 
young  became  larger,  my  desire  to  take  one  became  irresistible. 
As  the  den  was  in  ground  that  was  filled  with  rocks  and  roots 
of  trees,  digging  for  them  was  out  of  the  question,  so  I  de- 
cided to  set  traps  in  each  of  the  holes.  The  next  morning  1 
found  one  of  the  traps  pulled  out  of  the  hole  and  sprung,  likely 
by  the  old  Fox.  I  set  this  trap  again,  but  none  of  the  traps 
were  disturbed  thereafter,  the  Fox  family  having  moved 
away." 

On  these  occasions  Fordyce  saw  only  one  Fox  about,  and 
assumed  it  to  be  the  female.  His  observations,  however,  were 
made  chiefly  while  the  cubs  were  small. 

That  the  father  Fox  (of  Fulpes  vulpes)  is  never  forgetful 
of  the  young  brood  is  shown  by  evidence  sent  me  from  Wales 
by  T.  W.  Proger: 

"When  the  cubs  are  very  young,  he  will  frequently  bring 
food  right  up  to  the  earth,  but  as  they  get  older  he  does  not  do 
this,  but  drops  it  at  a  distance  from  the  earth,  a  hundred  yards 
or  more.  This  may  be  done  to  teach  the  cubs  to  hunt  for 
themselves,  as  the  rabbit  or  bird,  as  the  case  may  be,  is  often 
lightly  covered  with  leaves  and  mould,  and  it  would  certainly 
be  very  good  practice  for  the  youngsters." 

The  place  around  a  fox-den  is  usually  littered  with  bones 
and  feathers  of  their  prey,  but  they  also  have  an  indoor  banquet- 
ing hall.  As  already  noted,  Fordyce  dug  out  a  fox-den  early 
in  May,  1878.     "During  the  winter  of  1878,"  he  says,  "I  had 


Prairie  Red-fox  m 

tracked  a  Fox  into  this  den.     In  early  May  it  was  reported 
that  Foxes  were  killing  lambs  in  the  neighbourhood.     I  went  at 
once  to  the  place  and  found  about  the  hole  abundance  of  bones 
wool,  and  feathers,  indicating  that  it  was  the  home  of  a  Fox 
family.     The  next  morning  two  other  boys  went  with  me  to  dig 
them  out.    We  followed  the  main  hole,  which  went  down 
with  a  gradual  slope  for  about  3  feet  from  the  surface  of  the 
ground.     It  continued  nearly  level  for  about  20  feet    where 
we  found  3  young  Foxes  grown  to  about  the  size  of  an  ordinary 
house  cat.    After  getting  them  into  a  bag  wc  went  back  to  a 
branch  from  the  main  hole  that  wc  had  passed  in  digging 
Following  It  for  about  4  feet,  we  found  an  enlarged  dug-out 
space  which  was  used  as  a  store-room. "     (Sec  plan,  page  716  ) 
Concerning  one  which  he  kept  captive,  my  infor-nant 
writes:       One  day  in  June,  1876,  my  cousin  and  I  chopped 
3  young  Foxes  out  of  a  long  hollow  log.     They  were  about  one- 
third  grown  and  quite  savage. 

"  We  each  took  one  to  our  homes.    After  keeping  mine  for 
several  months,  until  well  grown,  it  was  killed  by  a  neighbour 
on  account  of  catching  chickens.     It  seems  to  me  this  Fox  did 
some    thinking    in  its  method  of  taking  the  chickens.     I  had 
dug  a  trench  in  the  ground,  gradually  sloping  it  down  until 

tnX  ]  ^7  t'""  '"''Z  ^"^  '°"«-  At  the  bottom  of  the 
trench  I  placed  a  wooden  box  with  a  wooden  arch  leading 

tZT  "• .  ^^'"^  '^'  '^•'■^  ^^^  fi"^*!  '"'  »his  made  rather  f 
good  den  underground.    The  Fox  was  fastened  with  a  chain  at- 

Tut  o?;h'"7"    1!^'"^^:°'''  ^hichgave  it  free  access  in  and 

sTde  O  .r  n'"  uu  '  't?  °^  P^'^^P^  ^^  ^*^«  °"  the  out- 
side.  Our  neighbour's  chickens  were  running  about  the  ya  d 
more  or  less,  and  the  Fox  began  catching  them^.  I  watcSed  to 
see  how  It  was  done,  and  found  that  when  food  was  given  the 

f^om  T  '  •"'''"/  u  ^  '^"'•"S  "'  P'^"  "  ^'"^°«t  as  far  away 
from  the  opening  of  the  den  as  its  chain  could  reach  The 
Fox  would  then  back  down  into  the  hole  and  wait  until  the 
chickens  came  for  the  food,  and  when  one  got    nsSe  the 

the  food  I  had  given  ,t.    One  thing  I  noticed  in  particular  was 


I  \ 


■  \ 


y  1 


7««         Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 

that  it  seldom  missed  getting  a  chicken  ^  [,cn  it  jumped  for 
one;  in  fact,  it  never  made  a  jump  except  the  chicicen  was  inside 
the  chain  limit. 

During  June  and  July  I  often  visited  ^he  Ontario  fox-d^n 
referred  to  above,  sometimes  going  at  night,  and  usually  taking 
my  hound  with  me.  And  on  each  occasion,  long  before  nearing 
the  place,  we  were  mrf  by  one  of  the  old  Foxes,  who  *ould 
deliberately  cross  our  path  or  bark  at  us  from  a  hillside,  tempt- 
ins  the  dog  away  in  pursuit.  The  latter  would  dash  off  at  full 
cry,  and  I  could  tell  by  his  tonguing  that  the  trail  led  to  a 
distant  part  of  the  country,  either  along  the  railway  track  or 
down  the  nver,  where  the  Fox  easily  got  rid  of  him  by  some 

lAu    J  "*"  *"  *"*''''  '  witnessed  in  day.ight     The  Fox 

led  the  dog  down  the  river,  then,  retracing  his  steps  for  forty 
or  fifty  yards,  he  scrambled  along  a  steep  bank  of  sand  that 
edged  the  stream  The  sand  apparently  carried  no  scent;  the 
liound  could  not  follow  it  at  all. 

1  saw  the  Fox  do  this  several  times  at  the  same  place.  In- 
deed,  he  was  shot  here  by  one  of  my  friends,  in  the  act  of  repeat- 
ing the  performance.  This  turned  out  to  be  the  male  Fox 
hvidently  he  was  actively  interested  in  the  care  of  the  young' 
One  day  (July  .5)  I  saw  the  mother  Fox  carrying  a  live 
hen  from  our  barnyard  across  the  river  and  up  towards  the  den 
I  believe  she  was  keeping  it  alive  with  intent  to  let  the  youne 
ones  have  the  practice  of  killing  it,  just  as  a  cat  will  bring  live 
game  to  her  kittens.  ^ 

As  soon  as  the  young  are  large  enough  to  come  out  of 
doors,  they  romp  and  play  about  in  a  delightful  fashion,  com- 
bining the  elegant  suppleness  of  the  Otter  with  the  frolicsome 
ways  of  kittens,  but  are  ever  ready  to  fly  heme  at  the  slightest 
alarm.  Usually  the  alarm  is  given  by  the  ever-waichful 
Parents. 

There  is,  of  course,  only  one  brood  to  the  season  The 
young  are  nearly  full  grown  by  the  end  of  August,  but  are  still 
in  the  old  home  with  their  parents.  Such  quantities  of  game, 
dead  and  alive,  have  been  brought  to  them  during  the  summed 


Prairie  Red-fox  7«3 

that  their  front  door  is  now  dangerously  marked  with  the  bones 
and  feathers  of  the  victims. 

The  young  probably  scatter  voluntarily  before  winter,  but 
it  is  interesting  to  remember  that  in  England  a  systematic  effort, 
called  cu!)-hunting,  is  found  necessary  each  year,  in  October, 
to  disperse  the  families  and  improve  the  hunting  by  equalizing 
the  distribution  of  Foxes. 

I  have  never  seen  the  young  accompanying  their  mother; 
indeed.  2  Foxes  are  the  most  I  have  known  together. 

The  Eastern  Fox  seems  to  hold  its  own  very  well,  wherever  mtm 
there  is  rough  country  for  final  retreat.     I  suspect  that  there 
are  even  more  Foxes  in  New  England  and  Ontario  to-day  than 
•n  the  early  times,  for  the  reason  that  food  is  more  plentiful 
in  wmter  now,  and  at  no  time  did  th.   Fox  prefer  the  deep 
forest.     I  remember  very  well  once  in  June,  1885,  near  Cobo- 
conk,  Ont.,  scc.ng  a  Fox  trot  out  of  the  woods  ahead  of  me  for 
htty  yards  along  the  path,  then  disappear  without  knowing 
1  was  near     I  mentioned  this  at  a  camp  I  came  to  in  the 
evening.     Two  lumbermen  were  its  total  population,     m;  had 
been  .6  years  in  the  Muskoka  wr  >ds.  the  other  a  little  les.s, 
but  both  said  that  they  had  never  j   ^  seen  a  live  wild  Fox  i.. 
the  country. 

The  world-famed  cunning  of  the  European  Fox  is  due  in  i.>- 
part,  no  doubt,  to  the  ceaseless  persecution  it  has  suffered  so  ''^'^ 
Jong.  Yet  our  American  foxes  are  not  unworthy  of  their 
trans-Atlantic  cousins.  From  birth  they  have  a  deeHaid  fear 
ot  every  strange  or  peculiar  object,  and  they  early  acquire  a 
horror  of  anything  that  bears  the  taint  of  man.  Their  ir.udc 
auickne  """T^'l"  r.''^"'  sharpener  of  their  wits.  And  the 
the  hi  .'  T  '''"?  u'^'y  ''^"^"  *°  distinguish  and  distrust 
he  latest  devices  of  the  trappers,  is  wonderful  evidence  of 
their  cunning,  perhaps  also  of  their  power  to  communicate 
certain  ideas. 

twi,t!!^"  T''^^'  ^^  '^'  ^°°*  ^  ^^'^  ^'»  «t"^g^'''^  violently. 
tw.st.ng  and  tearing  at  the  foot,  sometimes  till  it  is  torn  off! 


\:   I 


724 


Life>  *  ?tories  of  Northern  Animals 


i: 


Some  trappers  say  u  will  amputate  the  leg  if  need  be      I  have 
never  seen  this,  but  I  have  known  the  Fox  to  bite  off  the  im- 
prisoned toes  Mou.  the  trap.     This,  whether  design  or  accident 
IS  the  best  thmg  It  can  do,  as  it  can  then  jerk  free  with  the  leasJ 
possible  loss  and  pain. 

Many  hunters  and  farmers  in  England  have  told  me  that 
a  Fox  never  kills  near  home.  It  has  no  wish  for  trouble  with 
the  near  neighbours.  The  barnyard  next  its  den  is  perfectly 
safe  so  far  as  this  pair  is  concerned.  I  am  not  sure  that  this 
IS  the  case  m  Manitoba  as  yet. 

There  is  a  device  that  I  have  several  times  known  the 
Ontario  Fox  to  resort  to  when  pressed  by  the  hounds,  that  is 
run  along  the  railway  ahead  of  a  train,  and  cross  a  high  trestl^ 
bridge.     On  one  occasion  I  knew  of  a  hound  being  thrown  by 
he  locomotive  from  the  trestle  into  the  river  below,  minus  his 
tail,  but  otherwise  unhurt.     I  was  told,  however,  that  all  were 
not  so  fortunate,  as  some  hounds  had  been  killed  at  the  same 
place  in  a  similar  way.     It  is  very  hard  to  say  how  much  was 
intentional  on   the  part  of  the  Fox.     T'le  fox-hunters  who 
know  the  animal,  say  ,/  was  intentional  throughout.     Some 
maintain  that  it  wac  entirely  accidental.     It  certainly  was  not 
necessary  for  the  J  ox  to  know  anything  about  train  times,  as 
he  could  hear  the  tram  coming  miles  away.     The  track  is  a 
notoriously  bad  place  for  scent  to  lie.  the  trestle  was  a  place 
of  difficult  footing,  like  a  sloping  tree,  which  often  furnishes 
refuge,  or  the  steep  sand  bank  already  noted,  where  I  several 
.mes  saw  the  Fox  baffle  the  hounds.     He  might  run  to  the 
train  just  as  I  have  known  a  Deer  or  Hare  run  to  a  wagon  or 
sleigh  when  flying  for  its  life,  preferring  the  unknown  terror  to 
the  certain  death.     Add  to  this  the  element  of  luck  when  first 
the  box  made  the  attempt;   success  that  time  would  lead  him 
to  try  again. 

I  have  several  times  been  told  by  hunters,  of  Fox  mothers 
poisoning  their  captive  cubs  because  they  could  not  free  them 
1  am  more  sceptical  now  than  I  was  formerly  of  these  accounts* 
not  because,  as  some  have  illogically  asserted,   this  would 
postulate  a  knowledge  of  the  nature  of  poison  and  of  death  on 


I: 


Prairie  Red-fox  725 

the  part  of  the  Fox— it  would  be  just  as  true  to  claim  that  a 
Cougar  has  a  comprehension  of  locomotor  paralysis  because 
It  aims  to  disrupt  the  spinal  cord  of  its  victim— but  because  the 
evidence  was  faulty.     The  possibility  of  murder  under  such 
circumstances  is  proved  by  the  facts  that  cattle  will  often  kill 
one  of  their  own  kind  that  is  in  dire  extremity;  a  crow  in 
trouble  IS  sometimes  destroyed  by  his  friends;  a  Mouse  in  a 
trap  IS  often  devoured  by  its  own  companions.     E    Hofer 
reports  a  case  in  the  Yellowstone  of  a  little  Bear  cub  that 
on  the  first  night  of  its  captivity  was  killed  and  eaten  by 
one  of  Its  adult  wild  kinsmen.     In  menageries  many  car- 
nivoro -s  mothers,  including  Foxes,  kill  a  large   proportion 
o.  their  own  young,  especially  when  they  learn  that  man 
has  tampered  wiui  them.    And,  finally,  Wolves  and  Foxes 
have  certainly  grasped   the  idea  that   poison  is  a.  thing  of 
danger     These  various  facts  bring  us  much  nearer  to  accept- 
ance of  the  hunter's  tradition,  without,  however,  being  con- 
clusi         They  at  least  remove  it  from  the  category  of  the 
lidiy  impossible. 

It  k  well  known  that  the  English  Fox  will  unite  with 
another,  probably  its  mate,  to  catch  a  Hare,  by  the  old  strata- 
gejr  ^f  drive  and  ambush.  W.  R.  Hinc  reports  a  similar 
subtkty  >n  the  part  of  the  Manitoba  species 

...U  ?'  ^u'""'  '!^'^^5.  he  once  saw  2  Foxes  working  to- 
ge  her  to  stalk  some  Canada  geese  that  were  feeding  on  the  open 
prame.  One  Fox  was  lying  in  wait  in  some  slight  cover;  the 
other  was  approaching  from  the  opposite  direction,  one  hundred 
yards  away.  It  crawled  as  close  as  possible,  then,  seeing  that 
he  ever-watchful  geese  were  alarmed,  it  began  to  roll  about  on 

b  ndl  ofVri""  ""r"'  T""''  ^^^^'  '"^^-^  --h  like  a 
Ea^hLvehT  ^T'^""'  ''  ''"'"^  ^'°^"  ^''^"^  by  the  wind, 
for  Jn  r  u^  '  "  "'"■"  '°  '^^  P"'*^'  ^ho,  knowing  it  well 
for  an  enemy  kept  moving  away  as  they  grazed,  and  thus 
dnf^d  towards  the  Fox  in  ambush.  Hine  was  satisfied  tha 
the  two  were  working  together,  but  did  not  see  it  out  When 
he  had  got  within  about  fifty  yards  he  'collected'  the  Fo^anS 
a  goose  with  '  right  and  left.'  *  «=  r  ox  ana 


r 


m 


726 


Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 


•ii-! 


{  I 


I 


NON- 
MIGRA- 
TORY 


SPEED 


USE  OF 
THE  TAIL 


I  have  not  seen  any  good  evidence  of  migration  among 
Manitoba  Foxes.  The  fact  that  they  are  much  more  often 
seen  in  fall  is  due,  of  course,  to  the  fact  that  the  Fox  population 
is  then  at  its  maximum;  the  families  are  breaking  up,  and  the 
young  are  running  about  m  search  of  the  best  hunting  grounds. 
Their  habits  change  but  little,  however,  with  »he  changing 
season. 

The  best  speed  of  an  average  Fox  for  i  mile  is  at  the 
rate  of  about  26  miles  an  hour.  This  is  faster  than  a  Coyote, 
but  slower  than  a  Jack-rabbit. 

A.  S.  Barton,  of  Boissevain,  sends  me  an  interesting  item 
on  this  head.  "Once,"  he  say.*,  "while  mounted  on  a  fast 
saddle-horse  I  ran  a  Fox  for  half  a  niile,  both  of  us  doing  our 
best,  but  it  was  an  even  race  all  e  way.  I  should  say  the 
horse  was  doing  two-minute  time,  as  his  record  was  1.51  for 
the  mile."  Therefore  this  Fox  was  running  at  the  rate  of  30 
liiiles  an  hour.  Doubtless  it  was  his  highest  speed,  and  he 
must  have  been  an  exceptional  Fox. 

No  one  can  long  watch  a  caged  Fox  in  winter  time  without 
discerning  the  use  to  which  it  f  uts  its  great  bushy  tail.  Its 
nose  and  pads  are  the  only  exposed  parts,  and  these  might 
easily  be  frost-bitten  when  it  sleeps  during  severe  weather.  But 
it  is  ilways  careful  on  lying  down  to  draw  these  together,  then 
cu  ae  brush  around  them ;  it  acts  both  as  wrap  and  respirator. 
I  have  many  t'mes  seen  wild  ones  do  this  same  thing,  and  am 
satisfied  that  the  tail  is  a  necessary  ol  life  to  the  Fox,  as  well  as 
to  the  Squirrel  and  Wolf  I  believe  a  Fox  or  Coyote  would 
die  before  spring  if  turned  out  in  the  autumn  without  a  tail. 

The  brush  is  large  in  proportion  to  the  coldness  of  the 
climat ;.  In  Foxes  fiom  the  Southern  States  it  is  a  very  meagre 
thing,  but  on  the  Sa^katciiewan  and  further  north,  it  is  enor- 
mous, looking  at  a  distance  almost  as  large  as  the  Pox's  body, 
and,  of  course,  it  reaches  its  greatest  size  in  the  depth  of  winter. 
The  coat  in  general  is  developed  by  cold,  but  not  apparently 
to  the  same  extent  as  the  tail. 


1  111      K,\    M'KIVi.i^,,,    , 


'^ ""  "s:,:::';:,::::^  ^"'^  -  ■—  - .«.. 


!•   AS    IT   SI  KpT 


JjWfe?- 


1  V 

I 

I 


I 


■ 


Prairie  Red-fox  727 

As  already  noted,  this  useful  member  serves  further  as  a 
fender  in  fighting,  but  it  has  also  it.  disadvantage.  Dunham 
Wheeler,  of  New  York,  tells  me  that  once  while  hunting  a  Fox 
in  the  Adirondacks,  during  early  spring,  when  the  snow  was 
deepest  and  wet,  he  sav  he  creature  coming  toward  him-  it 
stopped  and  seemed  to  worry  its  tail;  again  it  did  this  when 
nearer.  He  shot  the  Fox  and  found  that  its  tail  was  heavy 
with  water,  and,  when  the  crafty  one  stopped,  it  had  been  to 
wring  or  stamp  out  the  water  with  its  front  paws  and  so  reduce 
the  heavy  burden  of  the  water-logged  brush. 

In  the  early  part  of  the  winter  the  Fox  hunts  chiefly  at  dusk    hunt. 
but  the  growing  scarcity  of  food  increases  the  need  for  diligence    '"'° 
and  in  h  ebruary  and  March  it  may  be  seen  abroad  at  all  hours! 

h,J  '  '  17  'r'"  ^  ^^^-^'^'"^  ^°^  »"''««  ^«  'earn  this 
hunter  s  rnethods.  He  goes  on  a  general  up-wind  course  but 
turns  aside  to  examine  every  promising  thicket  and  sedgy 
hollow.  He  goes  to  all  the  places  where  he  remembers  havi^ 
good  luck  on  previous  hunts;  he  calls  and  sniffs  at  all  the  signal 
dCee"  HeZ^/'r  ^'^  '^^'^  ^"«""^'  '^ough  to  a  less 
He  trots  In        .        T"  •"f  ^""^  ^^  '^''''  «'^*^«dy  '"«"ibed. 

which  het'  r^"^'''  'uf^  ^'  '''^'  ^"^  ^  ^-^'^  ^"oll  on 
which  he  has  voided  .i.mg  before  now,  and,  finding  the  spot 

iToZlT''^'  ^'^  ^"-  "^  ^"P^  ''  '^^  slightit  cli  k  of 
leaf  or  twig,  freezes  to  a  statue  in  an  instant,  holding  one  foot 
up  in  a  pose  of  wonderful  grace.  Sometimes  he  Lnds  on 
hind-legs  to  overlook  the  grass  or  bounds  aloft  for  an  observa- 
wL  whh'h  '''  r"""  °'^  J-'^-bb't.  He  searches  the 
and  n  '  "'''''  ^'  ''"''  °"  ^^  '^'  h°"^'  '"i^^ing  nothing 

and  passing  from  cover  to  cover,  in  a  somewhat  zigza|  line  buj 
with  a  general  up-wind  course.     He  sneaks  by  seftlefs'  Somes 
Iook.ng  for  luck,  and  is  not  above  feasting  on 'offal      He  Zki 
out  sharply  for  the  dog.  and,  if  pursued    easily  leaves  his  foe 

ba'  Uni"efi'  ''"  '""'"'  ''''''  '^^  -"  sometime  tun  and 
arm  '  .h  /"'u '  *'T''"«  '^'  ^^^ »°  ^""h"  Pursuit.  He  runs 
across  the  fresh  track  of  a  Rabbit,  follows  this  for  a  time  and 
may  even  succeed  in  springing  on  the  crouching  B  nny;  but  the 


i 


1 


UM 


r 


^■P 


1  i 


M 


y\ 


I.I 


4 

'I 


I 


Fio.  194—  Foi-lrmcl  •  in  »po». 


.>.  •h«ii>|i  wliett:  111.  I  "■.  «Bi«n»g  »t  lf>r       ■«  ■•■  ""A""'  """,  L, 


728 


*  «tl  *»  Ibc  toycha  of  the  Utt  ue  -.!«*(:>  bhovn. 


HU 


Prairie  Red-fox 


729 


latter  is  as  alert  as  the  Fox,  and  has  the  advantage  of  awaiting 
approach.  Usually  it  gets  into  the  brush,  where  the  hunter 
must  give  up  the  hunt. 

In  following  the  trail  of  a  hunting  Fox  once,  I  saw  where  he 
had  dug  out  a  torpid  garter-snake,  bitten  it  nearly  in  two,  and 
left  it  lying  on  the  snow,  intending,  it  seemed,  to  come  back  for 
it  if  he  found  nothing  better. 

But,  farther  on,  the  track  recorded  how  the  prowler  had 
scented  two  prairie-chickens  asleep  in  a  drift  of  soft  snow,  had 
stalked  them  with  nose  worthy  of  a  pointer  and  step  worthy  of 
a  cat,  had  come  just  above  them  before  they  awoke  to  their 
danger,  and  when  they  burst  out  of  the  drift  he  had  sprung 
and  secured  the  nearest.  Having  now  abundance  of  this  finest 
food,  he  was  not  compelled  to  go  back  for  the  cold  snake,  which 
is  never  good  eating,  and  on  a  cold  day  would  have  been  a 
very  cold  lunch  indeed. 

When  satisfied  or  tired,  he  lies  down  for  a  nap,  not  usually 
in  a  hollow,  but  on  some  exposed  place,  the  top  of  a  bank  a 
boulder,  a  log,  or  a  stump.  Here  he  curls  up  in  a  ball,  his 
b  anket  is  on  his  back,  and  his  travelling  rug  is  his  tail,  his  big 
black  ears,  sticking  a  little  above  his  tail,  are  the  only  things 
that  break  the  rounded  yellow  of  the  ball. 

He  looks  like  a  yellow  stone,  and  seems  to  know  it.     Once 
wh.le  travelling  on  the  Souris  in  1882,  my  brother  and  myself 
no.iced  a  yellow  boulder,  among  others,  on  a  ridge.     He  said: 
Look  at  that;  doesn't  it  look  like  a  Fox  ?"     I  said-  "No  I  see 
nothing  but  a  yellow  boulder."    We  marched  within  'thirty 
paces,  ourselves,  our  wagon,  and  ox.-n.     When  twenty  yards 
past  a  puff  of  wind  seened  to  cause  a  crack  in  the  boulder. 
My  brother  stopped  and  said:  "I'm  sure  that's  no  boulder;  h 
ooks  to  me  like  a  Fox."     He  turned  aside,  took  one  siep 
towards  ,t  and  at  once  the  Fox  sprang  up  and  ran  for  dear  life 
He  skumed  across  a  stretch  of  burnt  black  prairie,  then,  reach- 
ing a  bi   of  unburnt  yellow  grass  three  hundred  yards  away, 
crouched  down  m  this  and  watched  us  again,  noi.  I  suspec^ 

colo  ""h  :    "'^  'u'  ^'■^"  '"^  ^'  ^  ^"^^  -^»^h  with  his  owr^ 
colour,  but  simply  because  it  M'as  cover. 


HI 


s      I 


t 


730 


Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 


I  do  not  think  he  was  asleep  when  we  passed  him,  because 
we  had  a  heavy  wagon  and  the  oxen  were  driven  with  the  usual 
noise.  I  believe  he  was  watching  over  or  through  his  tail,  and 
would  have  lain  still,  trusting  to  escape  notice,  had  not  my 
brother  alarmed  him  by  leaving  the  trail  and  stepping  towards 
him. 

The  Fox  does  not  have  its  regular  hours  of  sleeping  any 
more  than  of  eating,  except  that  it  prefers  to  sleep  in  sunlight, 


Fio.  105 — The  Fox  pUying  at '  buulder '. 

but  its  sleep  may  be  broken  into  a  dozen  naps,  for  it  curls  up 
when  it  feels  tired  and  has  satisfied  its  hunger. 

Foxes  have  little  use  for  a  den  in  the  winter.  At  one  time 
I  thought  they  kept  entirely  clear  of  them  while  the  snow  was 
on  the  ground,  but  in  following  one  that  had  gone  off  with  a 
trap  on  his  foot,  I  found  that  he  went  into  every  den  and 
Badger  hole  that  he  came  to,  apparently  in  hopes  of  leaving 
the  trap  behind. 

W.  R.  Hine  tells  me  that  he  also  has  tracked  Foxes  into 
dens  when  there  was  snow. 

I  have  several  times  seen  a  Fox  mobbed  by  birds,  usually 
crows,  but  once  by  a  lot  of  kill-deers.  These  noisy  plover: 
seemed  to  be  actuated  by  fear  for  the^r  young,  recognizing  very 
clearly  that  the  Fox  was  an  enemy,  but  the  crows  could  not 


E 


h 


! 


t>    I'l 


IMH 


Prairie  Red-fox 


731 


have  been  inspired  by  such  a  thought;  in  one  case,  indeed,  it 
was  niid-Julv,  bui  the  Fox  had  already  secured  a  fowl,  and  the 
crows  were  mobbing  him  because,  knowing  his  dislike  of 
'a  scene,'  they  hoped  he  might  abandon  his  plunder  to  get  rid 
I.:    hem,  and  so  they  would  profit  by  his  success. 

This  animal  is  popularly  supposed  to  subsist  chiefly  on  food 
poultry.  Rabbits,  and  game  birds.     I  have  known  it  to  kill  each 
of  these,  but  I  suspect  that  Mice  form  the  largest  part  of  its 
diet. 


The  Fo.x  spends  so  much  time  catching  Mice  that  he  is 
often  seen  in  the  act.  Many  times,  by  means  of  a  telescope,  I 
have  observed  one  in  broad  daylight,  while  he  secured  his  easy 
prey.  Selecting  some  well-known  mouse-haunt,  usually  a 
grassy  hollow,  he  advances  quietly,  looking  this  way  and  that 
for  the  slightest  rustle,  alert  to  the  finest  sound,  tiptoeing,  even 
standing  on  his  hind-legs  to  see  more  clearly  over  the  grass.  A 
stjii:  ik,  or  perhaps  the  movement  of  the  grass-tops,  catches  his 
eye,  and  he  springs  for  the  root  of  the  long  vibrating  spear, 
slaying  with  a  nip  the  Mouse  that  he  probably  does  not  see, 
then  separates  it  later  from  the  grass,  to  chew  and  swallow  the 
morsel  in  a  few  seconds.  His  movements  are  full  of  elegance 
and  his  habits  of  graceful  poses.  I  know  of  no  prettier  sight 
than  a  Royal  Fox,  red  and  rich  in  his  sleek  new  coat  with  its 
black  velvet  facings  and  its  trimmings  of  silver  and  gold,  as  he 
hunts  for  Mice  among  the  rank  foliage  and  flowers  of  a  prairie- 
hollow  in  Manitoba. 

A  similar  scene  has  been  described  to  me  by  W.  R.  Hine. 
Tn  this  case,  however,  the  Fox  was  not  a  common  yellow  one, 
but  a  superb  Silver-black. 

In  the  October  of  1887,  while  out  shooting  grouse  on  the 
Emerson  Trail,  two  miles  south  of  Winnipeg,  he  saw  a  large 
Black-fox  on  the  open  prairie,  some  five  hundred  yards  away. 
It  was  catching  Mice,  and  paid  little  heed  to  him  as  he  drove 
by  in  a  rig  with  his  father  and  brother.  Hine  whistled  heed- 
lessly and  passed  the  mouser  at  one  hundred  yard  distance, 


MOUSE 

HUNT 

l.NO 


732         Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 


i  'I 


S'i 


;M 


I 


1 1 


STORAGE 
HABIT 


taking  care  not  to  go  straight  towards  it.  At  length  its  sus- 
picions were  aroused  and  it  crouched;  ahhough  the  grass  was 
but  six  inches  high,  it  sunk  so  low  that  he  could  see  nothing  but 
its  black  e?.rs.  The  gunner  drove  in  a  circle  ever  nearer  with- 
out alarming  it,  except  that  the  Fox  crouched  yet  lower,  and  at 
fifty  yards  shot  him  with  a  charge  of  heavy  shot.  Although  it 
was  October,  the  pelt  was  already  prime. 

The  squeak  of  a  Mouse  has  such  a  charm  for  the  Fox  that 
even  a  poor  imitation  will  bring  him  at  a  run  towards  the 
squeaker.  Even  when  pursued  by  the  hunter  he  will  jump  at 
the  sound  of  a  mouse-squeak  and,  if  the  dogs  be  not  too  close, 
will  turn  for  an  instant  to  a  statue,  then  try  to  locate  that 
sound  of  sweetest  promise. 

Most  animals  of  the  Dog  Family  store  up  food  when  they 
have  more  than  they  need.  T.  W.  Proger  writes  me  concerning 
the  Fox  {Fulpes  vulpes)  in  Wales,  that  "it  usually  buries  sur- 
plus food.  These  caches  he  returns  to  infallibly.  I  think  it 
probable  that  the  Vixen  stores  up  food  as  her  time  draws  near, 
so  as  to  have  plenty  to  eat  while  she  is  unable  to  hunt.  I  do 
not  think  one  Fox  would  touch  a  cache  belonging  to  another, 
unless  hard  pressed.  They  certainly  never  forget  the  place, 
though  I  do  not  believe  the  story  that  they  mark  it  well  by 
urination. 

"  A  cock  pheasant  killed  by  a  Fox  and  cached  for  a  week  in 
cool  beech  leaves  is  considered  by  poachers  the  finest  eating  on 

earth." 

The  Ontario  Fox  is  said  to  hide  food  in  this  way,  but  I 
have  no  evidence  for  the  Manitoba  species.  Observations  on 
these  points  are  much  desired. 

On  the  fur  farm  at  Dover,  Maine,  the  Foxes  {V.  fulvus) 
habitually  bury  food.  They  watch  near  the  place  and  are 
ready  to  fight  any  other  Fox  trying  to  appropriate  the  store. 
If  it  is  interfered  >vith  by  man  they  bury  it  elsewhere.  They 
return  to  it  as  soon  as  hungry,  and  if  there  is  more  than  they 
need,  they  re-cache  the  remainder.  The  Red-fox  has  not  been 
seen  to  urinate  or?  its  cache,  but  the  Blue-fox  does. 


Prairie  Red-fox 


733 


In  the  den  already  described  by  G.  L.  Fordyce  was  a 
large  separate  apartment  for  stores.  In  it  he  found  two 
lambs,  one  partly  eaten,  a  ruffed  grouse,  a  Cottontail  Rabbit, 
and  a  Muskrat,  all  perfectly  fresh,  with  the  exception  of  one 
lamb,  they  had  not  been  eaten  at  all.  The  Muskrat  was  not 
injured  in  any  way  by  the  old  Fox,  the  only  marks  on  the 
body  being  where  she  had  crushed  its  back  in  killing  it.  He 
found  this  out  in  removing  the  skin,  which  he  afterwards 
sold. 

B.  R.  Ross  credits  the  northern  Fox  with  the  highest  kind 
of  storage.  He  says:'  "When  a  Fox  finds  a  piece  of  meat  or  a 
fish,  he  almost  invariably  hides  it,  and  returns  to  eat  it  at  some 
future  time.  I  have  remarked  this  trait  even  in  cubs  which  I 
have  reared  in  confinement,  and  which  used  previous  to  eating, 
to  dig  holes  in  the  snow,  to  bury  their  food,  pushing  the  snow 
with  their  noses  to  cover  it.  During  the  commencement  of 
summer  he  will  lay  up  a  store  of  the  eggs  of  the  wild-fowl,  for 
his  winter  consumption.  These  he  deposits  in  holes  dug  in 
the  sand  bars  of  the  river,  or  in  beds  ot  moss,  and  at  the  expira- 
tion of  several  months  will,  when  hard  pressed  by  want,  visit 
his  caches.  Even  when  there  are  several  feet  of  snow,  he  will 
readily  distinguish  the  place  by  scenting  his  urine  with  which 
a  Fox  usually  sprinkles  in  a  liberal  manner  all  his  secret 
hoards." 

This  storage  habit  is  asserted  also  by  Thomas  Anderson, 
of  Fort  Smith.  He  says  that  it  is  well  known  in  that  country 
that  the  Fox  stores  eggs  for  time  of  famine. 

Fox-dung  is  not  an  attractive  study  material  at  first,  but  dung 
after  a  few  weeks'  exposure  to  rain  and  sun  it  is  dried,  bleached, 
and  purified.    All  foecal  matter  is  gone,  though  it  retains  its 
shape.    Now  it  is  odorless  and  closely  resembles  owl-pellets. 

The  undigested  remains  of  Mice,  birds,  etc.,  their  skulls, 
feet,  hair,  and  feathers  are  easily  separated  and  distinguished. 
A  valuable  chapter  on  Fox  food  can  be  gathered  from  such 
examinations.    Those  that  I  have  conducted  go  to  prove  that 

•Fur-bearing  Animals,  Mack.  R.  Dist.,  Can.  Nat.,  t86i,  p.  17. 


I       is  i 


II' 


734         Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 

by  far  the  largest  proportion  of  this  food  is  Mice  and  Gophers, 
so  that,  on  the  whole,  our  Manitoba  Fox  must  be  considered  a 
creature  beneficial  to  agriculture. 

HYBRID-  On  January  28,  1902,  at  the  Cincinnati  Zoo,  I  was  shown 

'^^  a  curious  creature  supposed  to  be  a  cross  between  a  Fox  and  a 
dog.  The  Director  said  it  had  been  found  in  the  woods  near 
Cincinnati  when  it  was  perhaps  two  months  old.  It  was 
lying  in  a  hollow  stump  with  two  others  of  the  same  kind. 
The  boy  who  found  them  carried  them  home  without  waiting 
to  see  of  what  sort  the  parents  were.  Two  died,  but  this  one 
was  successfully  reared  on  a  bottle.  Its  appearance  suggested 
Coyote  rather  than  Fox,  I  thought,  but  there  were  no  Coyotes 
within  some  hundreds  of  miles  The  creature  was  good- 
natured  and  friendly  and  had  much  the  appearance  of  a  slim, 
yellowish  sheep-dog. 

On  September  16,  1901,  while  camped  in  Colorado,  on  the 
South  Fork  of  William's  River,  the  boys  of  my  outfit  found  a 
sick  Fox  (F.  macrourus)  in  a  willow  thicket.  It  was  very  thin 
and  weak,  and  its  hind-legs  were  paralyzed;  it  could  hardly 
walk.  One  of  the  men  killed  it  with  his  riding-whip  and 
brought  it  to  me  for  examination.  Its  mouth  was  full  of 
Porcupine  quills,  doubtless  its  inside  also  was  suffering  from 
the  same,  but  its  condition  was  such  that  I  did  not  risk  an 
autopsy.  Though  an  adult  male,  it  weighed  only  6  pounds 
10  ounces. 

There  can  be  no  doubt  that  in  the  northern  wilderness 
Foxes  are  preyed  on  by  Wolves,  Lynxes,  and  Fishers,  while 
their  young  are  destroyed  by  every  evil  beast  that  can  find 
them,  as  well  as  by  most  of  the  larger  birds  of  prey. 

The  killing  of  a  Fox  by  an  eagle  is  described  in  great  detail 
by  a  correspondent  of  Forest  and  Stream.''  The  eagle  was  the 
aggressor,  and  the  Fox,  being  on  the  open  prairie,  had  no 
chance  to  seek  cover.  As  the  tragedy  took  place  near  Estevan, 
Sask.,  the  Fox  was  probably  of  the  present  species. 

'  W.  M.,  Forest  and  Stream,  February  9,  1896. 


ENE.MIES 


m 


ti 


Prairie  Red-fox 


735 


There  are  several  records  of  rabies  among  Foxes,  but  none  db- 
of  other  epidemics,  so  far  as  I  know.  ^^ 


KTC. 


The  following  affords  important  light  on  the  age  attained  age 
by  this  animal. 

Christian   Sanderson,  of  Chadd's   Ford,    Pa.,  tells   me 
(October  30,  1905)  that  in  March,  1897,  an  old  dog  Fox, 


Fro.  i96-m.-«udjr  of  the  Fox  diat  attacked  the  Poreupine,  Coloiado. 

locally  famous  as  a  runner,  was  trapped  near  the  Ford  A 
silver  collar  with  inscription  was  put  on  his  neck,  and  he  was 
released  on  the  one-hundredth  anniversary  of  Bayard  Taylor's 
fox-hunt  in  "Kennett."  He  lived  and  doubtless  was  hunted 
many  times  until  1905,  when,  after  a  good  run,  he  was  killed 
at  a  point  60  miles  due  south  of  Kennett.  He  was  evidently 
aged  when  killed.  Thus  he  had  run  for  8  years  after  he  was 
fully  aduit.  This  agrees  with  the  belie;  that  a  Fox  is  old  at 
10  years,  and  rarely  reaches  15. 


I  r 


736         Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 

A  corroborative  note  is  supplied  me  by  Dr.  J.  W.  Walker, 
of  Wakefield,  Eng.  He  knew  of  a  Fox  that  ran  before  the 
local  hounds  three  or  four  times  each  year  for  7  years,  before  \t 
was  killed. 

FtRANGE  An  interesting  case  of  a  Fox  cub  that  knew  how  to  take 
cEr''  care  of  himself  is  vouched  for  by  Dunham  Wheeler,  of  New 
York.  He  had  five  young  Foxes  in  a  cage;  one  of  these 
had  the  ill-luck  to  break  his  hind-leg.  The  others  plagued 
him  so  that  their  captor  gave  him  a  little  box  m  which 
was  room  only  for  one.  Here  he  at  once  ensconce  '  himself, 
snarling  savagely  and  threatening,  with  back-t  ]  ears, 
whenever  any  of  the  others  approached;  anf  ..e  stayed 
there  until  the  broken  leg  healed,  when  he  leaped  out  as 

sound  as  ever. 

Possibly  connected  with  the  instinct  for  rolling  on  any 
strange  strong  ent,  is  the  following  related  by  L.  R.  Gridlcy, 
of  Appleton,  Wis.  His  wife's  father,  a  trapper  in  Wisconsin, 
found  a  certain  trap  sprung  again  and  again,  but  nothing  in  it 
except  long  Fox  hairs.  At  length  he  sat  up  to  watch.  At  four 
in  the  morning  the  Fox  came  and  rolled  over  the  trap.  It 
sprung  at  once,  but  could  not  grip  on  his  broad  body;  he  ate 
the  bait  in  comfort  and  went  his  way.  But  the  trapper  now 
set  one  of  those  abominations  called  a  clawed  otter-trap,  and 
next  night  Reynard  was  caught  by  the  back. 

TOR  During  the  85  years,   1821'  to  1905  inclusive,  the  Hud- 

son's Bay  Company  collected  1,536,420  skins  of  this  species; 
an  average  of  18,075  for  each  year.  The  lowest  was  2,757  m 
1826,  the  highest  52,693  in  1876.  The  average  for  the  10 
years,  1895  to  1905,  was  22,671. 

Poland's  lists'  show  that  during  the  71  years,  1 821  to  1891 
inclusive,  3,831,516  skins  were  taken  by  the  other  American 

•  i8«  was  the  firet  year  when  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company's  operations  ex- 
tended without  opposition  over  all  the  fur  country  of  British  North  America. 

•  In  using  these  lists  one  must  remember  that  he  gives  year  of  marbeUng,  whereas 
the  fure  were  taken  the  year  before;  also  certain  returns  had  two  years'  catch  represented, 
others  but  half  a  year's  catch. 


Prairie  Red-fox 


737 


companies,  an  average  of  53,965  each  year.    So  that  the  aver- 
age annual  catch  of  American  Red-foxes  for  fur  is  about  74,000. 

At  the  London   annual   fur  sale   held   by   Lampson's,  fur  or 
March,  1906,  there  were  25,496  Red-fox  skins.    The  highest  ^^ 
price  reached  was  41  shillings  ({9.84)  each  for  288  dark  skins. 
First-class  skins  brought  usually  15  shillings  to  30  shillings 
($3.60  to  $7.20),  but  inferior  skins  sold  as  low  as  i  shilling  and 
2  shillings  (24  cents  to  48  cents). 


FOX 


CROSS- 
FOX 


The  Cross-fox  is  the  half  melanism  or  partly  black 
freak.  At  the  above  sales  3,697  Cross-foxes  were  sold.  The 
highest  price  realized  was  75  shillings  (^18.00)  each  for  26 
first-class  dark  skins,  but  30  shillings  to  35  shillings  ($7.20  to 
U^  40)  may  be  considered  ruling  prices  for  first-class,  from  which 
they  graded  down  to  20  shillings  ($4.80)  for  second-class,  and 
7  shilhngs  (51.68)  to  15  shillings  ($3.60)  for  third-class. 

The  most  valuable  fur  in  the  world  is  doubtless  that  of  the 
the  rare  and  wonderful  Sea-otter.  A  prime  skin  of  this  brings  lo^^ 
from  $soo  to  ^800.  Next  to  the  Sea-otter  comes  the  Black  or 
Silver-fox.  This  is,  of  course,  simply  a  superb  melanism  of 
the  common  Red-fox.  It  is  intense  black  with  more  or  less 
silver  tipping  of  the  hairs  on  head  and  rump,  the  less  tipping  the 
higher  th.-    -Ine  * 

"A   ^u  '     *^"^^  "^^  ^^^  following  interesting  item: 

At  the  s  Bay  Company  annual  fur  sale,   held   in 

London,  lVi„..h,  1900,  601  Silver-foxes  were  sold,  bringine  an 
average  prke  each  of  £50  16..  iJ.  ($247).  and  3  especially 
hne  pure  black  skins  brought,  respectively,  £310  ($1,507), 
fofthe  ^""^  ^^°°  (^h9H);  that  is,  £1,050  or  $5,103 

The  record  price  for  a  Black-fox  is,  according  to  D.  A 
Boscowitz   £540  ($2,625),  given  by  Grunwaldt,  of  Paris,  in 
1889.  at  C.  M.  Lampson  &  Co.'s  sale.     Such  a  purchase, 
however,  can  scarcely  be  considered  a  representative  commer- 
cial transaction. 


I  It 


738         Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 

At  the  London  annual  fur  sales,   held  by  Lampson's, 
March,  1906,  992  Silver-fox  skins  were  sold. 

The  highest  prices  realized  ^■  ere  ;C320,  £310,  £310,  ;C28o, 
£220,  ;C2io,  £190  (that  is,  $i,S5S>  i^i.5"^,  ;Si,5o6,  $1,360, 
$1,070,  $1,020,  $883).     These  were  for  skins  of  unusual  size 
and  marvellous  beauty.     The  ordinary  run  of  fi:st-class  skins 
brought  only  £$0  to  £So  ($243  to  $388),  and  many  Silver-foxes 
of  inferior  quality  brought  only  £1  or  £2  ($4.80  to  $9.60). 
Lest  the  frontier  trapper  who  sees  the  above  be  led  into  undue 
appreciation  of  his  fur,  it  is  well  to  remember  that  the  fur-dealer 
has  three  great  rirks  to  face,  damage  in  transport,  damage  in 
storage,  and,  above  all,  damage  through  the  freaks  of  fashion. 
The  intrinsic  value  of  Silver-fox  as  an  article  of  clothing  is 
little  more  than  that  of  the  Red-fox,  say  $5  or  $10  a  skin.     But 
Silver-fox  is  beautiful,  rare,  and  fashionable,  hence  the  fancy 
prices  paid.     It  is  always  within  the  range  of  possibility  that 
the  fashion  may  suddenly  change  and  the  prici   of  choicest 
skins  drop  to  a  fraction  of  the  last  ruling  figures.    The  prices 
paid  at  the  trading  posts  to-day  have  been  fairly  adjusted  by 
keen  competition;  they  certainly  are  not  too  low. 

The  lustre,  fulness,  and  beauty  of  the  Silver-fox  fur  are 
unique  and  inimitable.  Its  market  value  is  so  high  that  suc- 
cessful attempts  are  being  made  to  breed  Foxes  for  their  pelts. 
As  the  subject  is  of  wide  interest,  I  reproduce  an  article  which 
I  wrote  for  Country  Life,  in  1905. 

Fox-Farming  for  Fur 

The  rapid  disappearance  of  certain  wild  Fur-bearers,  com- 
bined with  the  steady  demand  and  ever-rising  prices  coni- 
manded  by  good  furs,  has  led  many  to  look  for  means  of  arti- 
ficially supplying  tl'e  want. 

It  is  years  since  the  idea  of  breeding  for  fur  was  first 
discussed,  but  never  were  the  times  so  ripe  as  now,  and  it  is  the 
object  of  this  article  to  set  forth  the  important  branches  of 
the  new  industry  for  the  benefit  of  those  who  wish  to  embark 
in  it. 


Prairie  Red-fox 


7S9 


This  kind  of  farming  offers  two  distinct  fields.  First: 
the  production  of  a  new  variety  of  some  already  domesticated 
and  easily  multiplied  animal  —as  cat,  dog,  goat,  rabbit,  or  cow— 
with  a  coat  of  such  quality  as  to  have  a  new  value  as  fur. 

The  second,  the  breeding,  under  protection,  of  certain 
wild  animals  whose  fur  has  already  an  established  market 
value.  In  this  class  are  Beaver,  Mink,  Otter,  Skunk,  Marten, 
Fisher,  and  Fox. 

In  other  words,  one  makes  a  fur-bearer  of  an  animal 
already  domestic;  the  other  makes  domestic  an  animal  already 
a  fur-btarer. 

The  second  is  the  only  department  that  will  be  treated 
herein.  There  are  two  ways  of  dealing  with  this;  wc  may  call 
them  the  wholesale  and  the  retail. 

The  first  is  the  instinctive  choice  of  the  beginner.  He 
usually  plans  to  get  possession  of  an  island,  a  mountain  valley, 
or  at  least  a  couple  of  hundred  acres  of  wild  land  with  a  high 
fence  around  it.  This  he  expects  to  stock  with  fur-bearers 
that  will  increase  speedily  to  thousands,  after  which  he  has 
nothing  to  do  but  shovel  in  a  few  tons  of  offal  weekly  and  draw 
off  a  few  thousand  of  the  choicest  pelts  yearly.  This  is  wha't 
I  call  the  wholesale  method.  It  has  never  yet  succeeded 
with  Red-foxes,  nor  indeed  with  any  creature  that  I  know  of, 
except,  perhaps  to  some  extent,  the  Blue-fox  on  the  islands  of 
Alaska. 

Success  in  breeding  any  domestic  animal  turns  on  personal 
care  that  can  be  directed  and  adapted  to  each  individual,  if 
need  be;  which  is,  obliquely,  a  reason  why  the  would-be  fur- 
fermer  is  better  off  with  five  acres  than  with  five  hundred. 
This  mdividual  method  is  what  I  call  the  retail  plan;  it  has 
been  proved  a  success  many  times. 

Fur-farming  is  a  good  chance  for  small  capital.  A  man  of 
experience  may  put  in  5i,ooo  and  get  a  remarkable  percentage 
as  soon  as  well  started.  But  any  one  who  thinks  he  can  put 
m  ^10,000  or  §20,000  and  do  le  same  with  little  experience 
and  labour  is  certainly  going  to  end  in  disaster. 

There  is  no  object  in  breeding  cheap  furs.    A  Muskrat 


Prairie  Red-fox 


780 


This  kind  of  farming  offers  two  distinct  fields.  First: 
the  production  of  a  new  variety  of  some  already  domesticated 
and  easily  multiplied  animal  —as  cat,  dog,  goat,  rabbit,  or  cow— 
with  a  coat  of  such  quality  as  to  have  a  new  value  as  fur. 

The  second,  the  breeding,  under  protection,  of  certain 
wild  animals  whose  fur  has  already  an  established  market 
value.  In  this  class  are  Beaver,  Mink,  Otter,  Skunk,  Marten, 
Fisher,  and  Fox. 

In  other  words,  one  makes  a  fur-bearer  of  an  animal 
already  domestic;  the  other  makes  domestic  an  animal  already 
a  fur-bearer. 

The  second  is  the  only  department  that  will  be  treated 
herein.  There  are  two  ways  of  dealing  with  this;  we  may  call 
them  the  wholesale  and  the  retail. 

The  first  is  the  instinctive  choice  of  the  beginner.  He 
usually  plans  to  get  possession  of  an  island,  a  mountain  valley, 
or  at  least  a  couple  of  hundred  acres  of  wild  land  with  a  high 
fence  around  it.  This  he  expects  to  stock  with  fur-bearers 
that  will  increase  speedily  to  thousands,  after  which  he  has 
nothing  to  do  but  shovel  in  a  few  tons  of  offal  weekly  and  draw 
off  a  few  thousand  of  the  choicest  pelts  yearly.  This  is  wha't 
I  call  the  wholesale  method.  It  has  never  yet  succeeded 
with  Red-foxes,  nor  indeed  with  any  creature  that  I  know  of, 
except,  perhaps  to  some  extent,  the  Blue-fox  on  the  islands  of 
Alaska. 

Success  in  breeding  any  domestic  animal  turns  on  personal 
care  that  can  be  directed  and  adapted  to  each  individual,  if 
need  be;  which  is,  obliquely,  a  reason  why  the  would-be  fur- 
fermer  is  better  off  with  five  acres  than  with  five  hundred. 
This  individual  method  is  what  I  call  the  retail  plan;  it  has 
been  proved  a  success  many  times. 

Fur-farming  is  a  good  chance  for  small  capital.  A  man  of 
experience  may  put  in  5i,ooo  and  get  a  remarkable  percentage 
as  soon  as  well  started.  But  any  one  who  thinks  he  can  put 
in|ioooo  or  §20,000  and  do  :  le  same  with  little  experience 
and  labour  is  certainly  going  to  end  in  disaster. 

There  is  no  object  in  breeding  cheap  furs.    A  Muskrat 


,1 


/ 


740         Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 

with  its  fiftecn-ccnt  pelt  is  almost  as  much  trouble  to  raise 
as  a  $ioo  Silver-fox,  therefore  only  the  high-class  fur  should 

be  considered.  ^,     .     ,      .     c 

What  is  the  most  valuable  fur  of  all  ?  No  doubt  the  Sea- 
otter.  But  the  animal  is  so  rare  that  a  large  fortune  would  be 
exhausted  in  getting  the  stock,  and  nothing  is  known  of  the 
method  necessary  to  its  propagation. 

Next  on  the  list  is  the  Silver-fox.  The  Black  or  Silver- 
fox  is  nothing  but  a  black  phase  or  freak  of  the  Common-fox, 
just  as  the  black  sheep  is  a  colour  freak  of  the  common  sheep. 
A  pair  of  pure  Red-foxes  may  have  a  Black-fox  m  their  litter, 
and  hat  Black-fox  may  grow  up  to  be  the  parent  of  nothing  but 
Red-foxes,  but  a  Red-fox  will  bring  only  a  dollar  or  two,  and 
the  Silver-fox  a  hundred  times  as  much. 

The  thoughts  of  the  fur-farmer,  then,  are  likely  to  turn 
at  once  to  the  Silver-fox.  The  first  objection  usually  made  to 
it  is  its  sterility  in  captivity.  At  one  time,  indeed,  it  was  said 
that  the  Fox  never  breeds  in  confinement.  This,  however,  is 
far  from  the  truth.  Experience  proves  that  the  Fox  is  as 
fertile  in  captivity  as  any  other  carnivore  when  properly 
managed.  Another  popular  error  that  is  wide-spread,  even 
in  books  of  good  repute,  is  the  idea  that  a  Fox  cannot  be  tamed. 
It  is  highly  probable  that  some  individuals  will  always  continue 
wild  and  treacherous  in  captivity,  but  most  of  them  respond  to 
judicious  treatment,  and  some  of  them,  as  I  have  seen,  become 

as  tame  as  cats.  m  r   ci  ■ 

I  first  saw  Foxes  successfully  managed  by  IN.  t.  bkmner, 
of  Bangor,  Maine.  He  began  a  fur-farm  in  Winnipeg  in  1 899. 
But  the  best  working  out  of  fox-farming  as  a  paying  commercial 
enterprise  that  I  have  seen,  is  at  Dover,  Maine,  where  I  had 
the  privilege  of  inspecting  the  farms  of  E.  Norton  and  M.  t. 

Stevens,  in  July,  1905-  ,  , 

otevens's  enclosures  were  20  feet  each  way  and  sur- 
rounded by  a  mesh-wire  fence  10  feet  high  with  an  i8-inch 
overhang  at  the  top,  and  sunk  3  feet  into  the  ground.  Six 
feet  would  hav.  been  high  enough,  but  at  Dover  they  have 
to  reckon  on  snow-drifts  4  feet  high.     The  overhang  above 


^ 


PLATE   LVI.— VAUKlrE   F.   »TF.Vi;S»   AND  ONE  OF     IIS   BRKEDIKS. 


FI.ATK   i.vii._Y„pj;c,    AT   MEAI.  TIME. 
Vnxes  im  fur  farm. 
From  photiigraphs  l.y  E.  T.  Sctoo. 


^^H 

1 

■    ^ 

1 

mj 

f- 

BLifefi.  i 

l 

Prairie  Red-fox 


741 


is  necessary,  as  the  Foxes  climb  up  the  wires  like  cats.  It  is 
quite  a  common  thing  to  see  one  or  more  of  them  clinging  to 
the  cage  at  a  height  of  lo  feet  from  the  ground,  and  there 
they  stay  for  minutes  at  a  time  trying  to  get  out  by  forcing 
the  wires. 

The  Norton  yards  at  Dover  are  considerably  larger  than 
the  Stevens,  his  smallest  being  50  by  25  feet,  and  the  large  runs 
230  by  64  feet.     The  fences  are  alike. 

After  inspecting  these  two  farms,  and  hearing  of  the 
various  problems  to  be  met,  I  should  thus  plan  a  small  fox-yard 
— and  no  wise  man  will  go  into  a  large  one  until  after  he  has 
had  enough  experience  to  avoid  the  inevitable  blunders  that 
on  a  large  scale  would  be  fatal  (Fig.  197). 

The  whole  space  is  120  by  230  feet,  a  little  over  half 
an  acre.  All  the  fences  should  be  10  feet  high,  of  ij  inch 
mesh,  No.  16  galvanized  wire,  as  a  Kit,  that  is  a  weanling 
in  his  first  summer,  can  go  through  a  3-inch  mesh,  and 
a  full-grown  Fox  can  squeeze  out  of  a  4  by  4.  The  netting 
should  go  3  feet  below  ground,  or  down  to  hard-pan,  and 
would  be  still  safer  with  a  turn  in  of  18  inches  at  the  bottom, 
although  a  line  of  flat  stones  laid  with  the  fence,  inside,  is 
usually  enough  to  prevent  any  digging  out.  At  the  top  it 
should  have  an  overhang  of  18  inches.  This  is  simply  the 
ordinary  mesh  wire  supported  on  crosspieces  nailed  to  the 
posts. 

The  outer  lane  is  1 5  feet  wide,  that  is,  wide  enough  for  a 
wagon,  but  it  can  be  reduced  to  barrow  width,  if  space  is  an 
object.  In  each  of  two  corners  is  a  kennel  for  a  watch-dog 
that  patrols  the  lane;  for  among  the  plagues  of  the  fox-farmer 
are  the  sneak  thief  and  the  malicious  neighbour,  who  might 
open  the  gate  by  night  and  thus  cause  the  loss  of  all  the  stock. 
At  each  of  the  other  corners  is  a  long  refuge  box  with  a  5  by  9 
inch  hole  at  each  end.  In  these  any  Fox  getting  out  of  his  pen 
will  take  refuge  from  the  dog  and  remain  till  put  back  where  he 
belongs. 

The  small  cages  are  designed  each  for  a  breeding  female. 
If  more  than  5  were  on  hand,  these  cages  might  be  halved 


r  I  'ii 


•'•1. 


lilt'  ^ 


(L  t  [ri 


742 


Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 


'°"",°„tTh'°a,Tdri=s.  point,  a  hole  abou,  3  fe"  -de 
and  .  fe«  deep  "hould  belg  and  roofed  over  w,th  some- 


Fig.  197- 


-A  model  Fox-yard.    Scale  50  f«t  to  one  inch. 


,H„g  .0  tun.  the  rai.    ^^^^^^^l^^tS^Z.']^^^ 
a,   one   side,    "mp'etes   the   den^     1  ^_^  ^^^ 

these  <l™»«"^*."'tf;ddr^     Nooning  U  needed.    The 

""'^The  large  cage,  are  loose  -.es  to  any  o.^;.  ^  are  no. 
nursing  mothers  or  very  young^  ,fi„Te"cL„e.  This  lane 
„       as  an  ^^"^"^lljj^nirmrableailey-cage  about 

CZt^C^  ^  bt:d::a::leti.es  .ne  is  aoor. 


Prairie  Red-fox 


74S 


sometimes  the  other.  This  is  put  across  the  lane  from  door 
to  door  when  it  is  intended  to  change  an  animal  from  one 
cage  to  another.  At  A  it  is  shown  in  position  to  allow  of 
the  Fox  being  driven  from  the  pen.  By  this  means  a  Fox 
can  be  transferred  from  any  one  pen  to  any  other  without 
handling. 

Most  beginners  will  ask  themselves — or  other  competent  'ood 
authority — what  does  the  Fox  feed  on  in  a  state  of  nature,  and 
then  decide  that  that  is  his  proper  food  in  captivity.  Curiously, 
and  happily,  this  decision  is  not  backed  by  experience.  Those 
who  feed  the  Foxes  on  fat  pullets,  Rabbits,  and  Mice  will  soon 
find  their  charges  a  lot  of  worm-eaten  dyspeptics.  A  much  better 
answer  is  given  by  Norton  and  endorsed  by  Stevens,  "Feed 
your  Foxes  the  same  as  your  dogs."  Bread,  table  scraps  and 
a  very  little  meat,  is  their  diet  on  the  farms.  Norton  feeds 
butcher's  scraps,  offal  of  animals,  and  in  the  winter  he  often 
gives  them  the  flesh  of  a  horse,  taking  great  care  that  it  be  not 
one  that  died  of  disease. 

Stevens  feeds  his  chiefly  a  cake  made  of  the  following 
recipe:  One  quart  sour  milk,  ij  teaspoons  of  soda,  enough 
corn-meal  or  "Daisy  flour"  to  make  it  stiff,  spread  half  an 
inch  thick  on  pans,  and  bake.  No  sugar,  salt,  or  eggs  are 
needed.  This  will  keep  for  two  weeks,  and  is  eagerly  eaten 
by  the  Foxes,  The  young  ones  that  I  saw  came  running  and 
shouldering  like  a  lot  of  little  pigs  to  get  at  it  in  the  trough 
when  the  evening  meal  was  announced  by  a  familiar  whistle. 
A  piece  2  by  3  inches  makes  a  meal,  and  they  get  two  meals 
a  day — morning  and  night.  Each  Fox  also  ?ets  daily  a  pint 
of  skim  milk,  and  once  a  week  about  half  a  pound  of  raw 
meat.  They  are  extremely  partial  to  Woodchuck.  One  fat 
Woodchutk  is  enough  to  make  a  week's  allowance  for  eight 
Foxes. 

Norton  occasionally  shoots  a  crow  and  throws  it  in.  The 
Foxes  do  not  touch  it  for  two  or  three  days,  then,  as  it  gets  gamy, 
they  devour  it  with  relish.  Neither  farmer  has  tried  dog- 
biscuits.    If  a  Fox  secures  more  food  than  he  can  eat,  he  buries 


BREED- 
ING 


744         Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 

it  till  he  is  hungry,  keeping  a  watch  on  the  place  lest  any  fellow 

captive  should  steal  his  hoard.  ..,„.  he  has  20 

^  Stevens  has  been  in  the  business  for  two  years,  he  has  20 
or  20  Foxes  and  reports  none  lost  at  any  time  by  disease. 
"  '  Norton' has  haS  five  years'  experience;  He  carr.s  3°  to 
40  Foxes,  and  reports  that  one  or  two  die  ^-^^^  jear  from  a 
disease  that  affects  the  head.  It  causes  a  running  of  the  nose 
and  fills  the  ears  with  scab.  A  careful  comparison  of  their 
systems  of  diet  shows  that  the  Norton  Foxes  get  more  meat  than 
the  Stevens  Foxes. 

In  a  state  of  nature  the  Fox  is  a  monogamous  animal; 
is  believed  to  pair  for  life.     In  -ptvity  the  breed  rs  en 
courage  polygamy,  letting  one  very  choice  male  serve  several 
femalfs     The  embarrassingly  high  moral   standard  of  the 
Fox  is  one  of  the  difficuhies  of  the  breeder  but  there  .s  good 
feasonTo  believe  that  human  care  and  influence  will  under- 
r^tne  their  awkward  scruples  exactly  as  ^'^H  *^%^°e/"^ 
X  animals  that  have  submitted  to  domesuc  li  e^    I    m 
told,  on  the  other  hanc^  that  polyandry  is  bad.    If  a  breed 
ing  female  is  allowed  to  join  with  two  males  in  the  same 
seLon  the  resuh  is  said  to  be  steriliry.    I  do  not  know  what 

'"''  ^Ovrffatimals  do  not  breed.    It  is  a  .reat  mistake  to 
over-feed.     In  this  we  probably  find  one  '^e-on  for  Ae  in 
fecundity  of  Foxes  in  most  menageries.    An  ordinary  rox 
SI  or  9  pounds.    The  largest  and  fattest  Norton  ever 
Ld  was  161  pounds.    The  breeders  should  be  kept  down 
to  abou    10  pounds.    Stevens  claims  that  of  those  that  mate 
n  his  yard  half  are  fertile;  Norton  claims  only  one-third^ 
As  aL  noted,  Stevens  feeds  them  less,  but  something  may 
also  be  due  to  the  fact  that  the  Stevens  farm  is  on  a  quiet  h.ll- 
Se  in  the  coltry.  while  the  Norton  far.n  is  in  the  busy  town 

''^^Th"  wild  Foxes  mate  in  late  January  or  early  February 
the  clptll  are  four  or  five  weeks  later.  W^-  ^^^-"^^^^^^^^ 
the  female  utters  her  peculiar  squeal  and  the  male  answer. 


t 

H 


.i  M 


PLATE  LVIII  —TEN   FEET   FROM  THE  GROUND. 


PLATE  LIX. — FORCING   A  MESH. 


PLATE  LX. — CLIVOTO  UPRIGHT  WIRE. 


PLATE    LXI. — IN    THE    YARD. 
YOUNG    FOXES    ON    FUR    FARM. 
T    illustrate  espe:ia!ly  the  cllmbinK  pmpensitirs  of  the  young, 
rruiii  phot(it(ritp!i5  Ijy  E.  T.  Selun. 


iq 

V 

•  \l 

nM 


Prairie  Red-fox 


745 


with  a  deeper,  coarser  bark.     Both  show  a  restlessness  and  a 
good  deal  of  excitement. 

The  period  of  gestation  is  51  days  without  12  hours' 
variation;  of  this  I  am  assured  by  both  breeders. 

The  wild  dog  Fox  is  a  model  father  and  faithfully  helps  to 
provide  foi  the  young,  Sut  in  captivity  he  is  not  needed,  and 
it  is  best  to  keep  the  mother  in  the  breeding  pen  by  herself. 
The  quieter  she  is  the  better.  The  young  should  not  be 
approached,  much  less  handled.  Strangers  should  be  for- 
bidden the  range  till  the  young  are  able  to  run.  If  disturbed 
or  frightened  the  mother  is  liable  to  carry  the  young  about  in 
her  mouth,  seeking  a  safer  place  for  them,  till  they  are  worried 
to  death. 

The  young  number  from  3  to  9;  6  or  7  are  the  usual  Itter. 
They  are  born  blind;  their  eyes  open  about  the  seventh  or 
eighth  day.  When  they  are  a  month  old  they  begin  to  come 
out  and  play  together  like  kittens.  They  are  now  considered 
past  the  critical  period.  They  begin  to  eat  solid  food,  and, 
when  three  months  old,  the  mother  weans  them,  and  they  may 
be  taken  away.  At  midsummer  they  are  half  grown,  by 
winter  apparently  full  grown,  and  in  the  following  February  or 
March,  while  yet  less  than  a  year  old,  they  also  breed.  The 
young  are  much  wilder  than  the  old  one?,  at  first,  but  good 
management  soon  convinces  them  that  aii  their  fears  are  ill- 
founded,  and  they  soon  get  tame  &nd  gentle. 

Foxes  are  much  less  quarrelsome  than  most  carnivores. 
Norton  has  lost  only  2  through  fighting.  Both  were  killed  by 
an  abnormally  vicious  old  dog  Fox  that  bullied  the  others. 
Such  instances  are  rare,  and  a  Fox  of  that  tenr.per  should  be 
considered  s  freak,  and  not  allowed  to  bret^d. 

Every  effort  should  be  made  to  'gentle'  the  Foxes.  First, 
by  selecting  the  most  docile  to  breed  from;  second,  by  giving 
them  no  cause  for  alarm. 

Cleanliness  is  of  the  utmost  importance.  Clean  drinking 
water  and  clean  pens  are  essential.  The  Foxes  are  naturally 
clean.  They  do  not  bury  their  dung  with  cat-like  scrupulous- 
ness, but  they  leave  it  at  one  end  of  the  run.     Stevens's  pens, 


740         Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 

though  smaller,  have  escaped  all  diseases  because,  he  says,  each 
year  he  digs  over  the  soil  to  sweeten  it.  The  pens  must  have 
shady  places  and  sunny  places  for  the  varying  weather^  It  is 
well  also  to  caution  the  beginners  against  g.vmg  the  Foxes  a 
pile  of  new  earth  to  dig  in.    This  is  sure  to  cave  m  and  cause 

*'^°"  Fur  is  prime  in  November,  but  should  be  left  until  late 
December,  as  it  continues  to  get  fuller,  and  the  fadmg  process 
does  not  set  in  until  the  end  of  winter.  The  fur  ,s  improved 
by  cold  weather  and  by  plenty  of  food  in  the  fall,  especially 
oily  foods,  such  as  fish  heads,  etc.,  and  oil  cake  might  prove 
effectual.  Castration,  to  make  a  larger,  finer  robe,  has  not 
been  tried. 

In  getting  stock  the  fox-farmer  must  remember  that  the 

^^"^•^     farther  north  it  comes  from  the  better,  and  that  the  Gray-tox 

of  Virginia  and  the  South  is  not  wanted  at  any  price.     Ihc 

best  way  to  get  Foxes  is  by  digging  out  the  young  in  May  and 

Tune.  J  II 

Wild  Red-foxes  can  often  be  bought  for  one  or  two  dollars 
each     The  breeder  gets  $S  to  $i  5  a  pair  for  good  cage-reared 
seasoned  specimens  of  the  common  Red-fox.     But  we  wish  to 
raise  Silver-foxes,  not  common  Reds.    As  already  stated  the 
Silver   Black,  and  Cross-foxes  are  mere  colour  freaks  ot  the 
Red-fox     They  are  found  wild  in  every  shade  and  mter- 
erade      The   idea'   and   inimitable  Silver-fox   is   glossy  jet 
black'  with  a  silvery  tip  to  each  of  the  long  hairs  giving  a 
frosted  finish  of  exquisite  beauty.    A  pair  of   Silver-toxes 
may  produce  a  litter  of  Red-fox  young.     But  these  things 
run  in  families  and  a  pair  of  Silvers  or  Blacks  are  almost 
sure  to  produce  some  of  their  own  colour.     By  selecting  the 
dark  ones  for  breeding,  the  desired  type  can  soon  be  fixed. 
In  five  generations,  that  is,  five  years,  Norton  tells  me  he 
found  it  possible  to  breed  out  all  the  'Red'  and  have  a  strain 
of  pure  'Silver-foxes.'    From  a  pair  of  fairly  good  Blacks, 
valued  at  $50  each  as  pelts,  he  last  year  raised  7  perfect 
Silvers  worth  ^200  each. 


Prairie  Red-fox 


747 


There  are  two  sources  of  profit  to  the  fur-breeder.     First,  profit 
the  sale  of  fur;  apparently  this  is  his  only  one.    The  Winni- 
peg Commercial  gives  the  following  quotations  for  Fox  pelts, 
March,  1904: 


Prime  Common  Red 
"      Cross      .     . 
"      Silvers    .     . 


$1.50  to      $4.00 

$5.00  to    $15.00 

$50 . 00  to  $200 . 00 


These  may  be  considered  as  conservative  figures.  W.  F. 
Sheard,  the  fur-dealer  at  Tacoma,  tells  me  that  he  once  sold 
three  perfectly  matched  Silver-foxes  for  $1,200.  A  man, 
therefore,  with  an  acre  of  ground  "under  Foxes"  might  raise 
20  to  40  Silvers  a  year  with  an  average  market  value  of  $150 
each,  /'.  e.,  $3,000  to  $6,000  a  year  gross,  and  the  expenses 
would  be  very  low. 

How  long  the  price  would  keep  up  to  this  high  figure  it  is 
impossible  to  say,  but  it  has  kept  up  for  over  a  hundred  years 
and  there  is  no  present  sign  of  decline,  rather  the  contrary. 

My  own  impression  is  that  twenty  years  from  now  there 
will  be  a  great  many  fur-farmers  furnishing  first-class  Silver- 
foxes,  more  than  ever  before  were  put  on  the  market.  This 
will  eventually  lower  the  prices,  but  it  will  be  largely  offset  by 
the  increasing  market,  and  it  is  safe  to  say  that  so  beautiful  a 
fur  will  always  fetch  a  figure  sufficient  to  make  it  remunerative 
to  produce. 

The  second  profit  of  the  dealer,  and  perhaps  his  best,  is 
the  sale  of  his  fine  stock  to  other  breeders.  A  Fox  whose  pelt 
is  valued  at  $100  is  worth  $300  as  a  breeder.  Messrs.  Norton 
and  Stevens  hold  their  breeders  at:  Red^,  $15  per  pair; 
Cross,  $75  per  pair;  Silvers,  $300  to  $400  per  pair,  and  even 
at  that  figure  they  tell  me  that  they  cannot  keep  pace  with  the 
demand.  This  would  naturally  decrease,  but  to  judge  from 
experience  in  other  fine  stock  it  is  more  permanent  than  it 
would  seem.  It  will  probably  last  quite  long  enough  to  enable 
the  prudent  to  gather  a  very  handsome  return  and  perhaps  a 
comfortable  fortune. 


748         Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 

From  this  we  can  sec  that  the  Fox  breeding  does  not  diflPcr 
essentially  from  the  breeding  of  any  other  high-class  stock. 
Judgment,  economy,  cleanliness,  and  thrift  will  make  it  a  suc- 
cess. I  am  satisfied  that  any  man  who  has  made  a  success  of 
hens  can  make  a  success  of  Foxes,  with  this  advantage  for  the 
latter— a  Fox  requires  no  more  space  or  care  than  a  hen,  but  is 
worth  twenty  times  as  much,  so  gives  a  chance  for  returns 
twenty  times  as  large. 


■«  I   Vil 


1.1 


%  i 


XXXIII. 

Gray-wolf,  Buffalo-wolf  or  Buffalo-runner. 

Canis  occidentalis  Richardson. 
(L.  Canis,  a  dog;  occidtiUalU,  of  the  west.) 

Cams  occidffitalis  Richardson,  1829.     F.  B.  A.,  Pt.  I ,  p.  60. 
Type  Locality. — Probably  Plains  of  Saskatchewan. 

French  Canadian,  //  Loup  gris,  la  Louve  grist. 

Cree,  May-hee'-gan. 

Saut.,  My-in'-gan. 

OjiB.,  My-in'-^an,  or  Kit'-chi  My-in'-gan. 

Yankton  Sioux,  Song-toke-cha  Tung-ka. 

Ogallala  Sioux,  Shunk'-ah  Mah-nee'-tu. 

The  genus  Canis  is  composed  of  the  true  Dogs.    They  °2JJJf"^ 
have  long,  pointed  muzzles,  long  legs,  long  bushy  tails,  and  acters 
pointed  cars;   have  4  toes  on  each  hind-foot,  and  5  on  each 
front,  but  the  innermost  of  the  5  toes  is  very  short  and  small, 
and  raised  so  that  it  does  not  touch  the  ground;  the  claws  are 
blunt  and  non-retractile. 


The  teeth: 


T-    3-3  i-i  4-4        ,  i■-^ 

Inc.  — ;  can.  — ;  prem.  ^-^;  mol.  — -■ 
I -I    *^         4-4  3-3 


3-3 


.42 


Until  the  Wolf  group  is  thoroughly  reviewed  by  competent 
authority,  with  abundance  of  material,  it  is  impossible  to  do 
more  than  guess  at  the  name  that  properly  belongs  to  the  Wolf 
of  the  Manitoban  prairies. 

The  oldest  name  for  the  American  Wolves  appears  to  be 
Cants  mexicanus  of  Linnxus,  1766.     Next  of  those  tenable 

749 


I{    '  / 


'  in 


[' 


SIZE  or 

MALE 


I..,— 't 


750         Lifc-hi8toric8  of  Northern  Animal? 

for  the  Gray-wolf  probably  is  Canis  occidenialis  of  Richardson, 
,829     No  special  type  locality  was  given,  but  the  interior  of 

the  continent.  ...        _    ._  .u. 

For  the  present  it  seems  well  to  apply  this  name  to  the 
big  Gray-wolf,  or  Buffalo-wolf,  of  the  plains. 

A  good-sized  male  Giay-wolf  that  I  caught  in  Colfax 
County,  New  Mexico,  December  13, 1893.  >v"  5  fe«  1  inches 
'^^^    ^*  (,,575  mm.)  from  nose-tip  to  tail- 

bone  tip;  of  this,  its  tail  was  16 
inches  (406   mm.);   shoulders,  27 
inches  (686  mm.);  girth  of  neck, 
18  inches  (457  mm.);  girth  of  chest, 
a8i   inches  (724  mm.);    girth  of 
forearm,  8i  inches  (209  mm.).    Its 
weight  was    102    pounds;    other 
males  caught  in  the  region  weighed 
90  and  78  pounds.    W.  R.  Hinc 
weighed  the  Winnipeg  Wolf  (a 
male)  at  104  pounds. 

T.  P.  James,  of  Clayton,  New 
Mexico,  assu'^cd  rne  that  in  the 
fall  of  1892  he  killed  a  huge  Wolf 
that  turned  a  standard  scales  at 
150  pounds.  This,  however,  is 
extreme,  and  the  weights  given  above  more  nearly  represent 
the  normal  male. 

A  female  taken  at  the  same  pl^^^*^.  December  29,  1893, 
was  4  feet  7*  inches  long  (1.410  mm.) ;  tail,  12  inches  (305  mm.) 
but  imperfect;  hind-foot,  10  inches  (254  mm.);  height  at 
shouSs  25  inches  (635  mm.);  weight,  75  Po^nds.  Another 
fS  wiighed  80  pounds,  and  a  third,  a  poor  one.  only  55 
pounds. 

.n,.n»  The  skin  of  the  first-mentioned  male  is  now  before  me. 

It  is,Tn  genen^U  dull,  yellowish-white,  becoming  nearly  pure 


\^ 


Fio.  icjS    Disuni  vkwi  ud  chuBC- 
teriiuc  uulltnrt  i>f 

Coyol«, 


SIZE  OF 
FEMALE 


jL\'i*»8l 


.'i  .'.* 


,■//, 


hh 


m 


^^^" 


/' 


■*',".,  s 


<1 


-1 


9 

i 

J! 

I 


\  '.fim  i 


M-: 


it 


M 


Gray-wolf 


751 


white  on  cheeks,  chest,  and  inside  of  hind-legs.  The  upper 
part  of  the  muzzle,  crown,  and  outer  side  of  each  limb  and  the 
entire  plantar  surface  of  each  foot  is  tinged  a  clear  pale  sienna. 
On  the  backs  of  the  ears  the  sienna  is  much  deeper  and 
stronger.  Beginning  on  the  muzzle  between  the  eyes  are 
many  black-tipped  hairs,  which  increase  in  length  and  num- 
ber and  continue  over  head,  upper  neck,  shoulder,  and  back 
to  the  basal  third  of  the  tail,  where  they  end  in  a  black  spot 
an  inch  wide  and  two  inches  long.  After  this  the  tail  hairs 
are  faintly  tipped  brownish-black;  the  tail  itself  ending  in 
a  dark  tip  of  blackish  hairs,  with  a  few  white  ones  interspersed. 

The  under-fur  is  brownish  gray  on  the  under  parts,  be- 
coming much  darker  on  the  limbs  and  much  browner  and 
darker  on  upper  parts  generally. 

The  dark  spot  on  the  tail  near  its  base  is  formed  by  a 
curious  tuft  of  black-tipped  hairs,  below  which  there  is  no 
wool  or  under-fur,  but  evidently  a  skin  odour-gland. 

The  claws  are  dark  horn-colour. 

Compared  with  a  number  of  Coyote  skins  taken  at  the 
same  place,  there  is  no  absolute  difference.  The  Coyotes 
are  more  strongly  tinged  with  sienna  above,  and  more  nearly 
pure  white  below.  Also,  their  under-fur  on  the  back  is  a  rich 
brown  instead  of  dark  gray-brown.  But  they  have  the  tail- 
gland,  and  there  is  little  but  size  to  distinguish  them  when 
living. 

The  above  colour  description  of  the  Gray-wolf  agrees 
exactly  with  Merriam's  colour  description  of  the  Coyote  quoted 
on  pages  790-791.  So  far  as  can  be  told  from  outside  charac- 
ters, the  Winnipeg  Wolf  killed  near  Winnipeg  (see  later)  was 
a  gray  Buffalo-wolf.  But  E.  W.  Darbey  had  6  skins  from 
Riding  Mountain  that  are  puzzling;  i  is  pure  white,  5  arc 
nearly  black,  and  yet  all  belong  to  one  pack,  probably  one 
family;  so  that  colour  seems  to  count  for  little. 

The  New  Mexican  specimen  here  detailed  represents  the 
prevalent  colour. 

But  individuals  are  found  of  any  shade,  from  white  to 
deep  yellow  and  almost  black.     Its  size,  short  tail,  short,  wide- 


752         Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 


Ml  i 


RANGE 


INDIVID- 
UAL 
RANGE 


•II 


spread  ears,  and  pale,  straw-coloured  eyes  are  characteristic. 
Unfortunately  for  those  who  propose  a  friendly  study  of  the 
living  Wolf,  the  skull  furnishes  the  most  reliable  means  of 
identification. 

Life-history. 

The  Wolf  most  common  in  Manitoba  is  probably  the 
Gray-wolf  or  Buffalo-runner.  But  it  soems  likely  that  in  the 
timbered  country  we  have  also  the  Timber-wolf  or  Cams 
nubilus  Say.  At  present  it  is  impossible  to  decide  any  of  these 
points  with  t  ertainty. 

Map  No.  42  shows  what  little  is  known  of  their  ranges.  It 
is  quite  possible  that  all  these  forms  are  races  of  two  or  even 
more  species.  The  type  localities  are  given  for  the  principal 
forms  that  have  been  recognized. 

The  home-region  usually  corresponds  somewhat  with  the 
size  of  the  animal.  It  is  probable  that  the  Wolf's  home  area 
is  larger  than  that  of  any  other  of  our  non-migratory  animals, 
because  it  is  a  large  animal — therefore  compelled  to  find  much 
food — a  flesh-eater,  whose  food  supply  is  notoriously  uncer- 
tain, and  a  swift-footed  animal  that  can  travel  great  distances. 

Dr.  James  R.  Walker  and  others  of  Pine  Ridge,  S.  Dak., 
told  me  that  in  1902  an  enormous  white  Wolf  had  been  living 
around  there  for  three  years.  It  was  usually  seen  within  15 
miles  of  Pine  Ridge. 

In  New  Mexico,  several  Wolves  were  well  known  by  their 
individual  marks  and  believed  to  be  permanent  residents  of 
a  region  about  30  miles  across.  In  Dakota,  near  Medora, 
was  a  well-known  Wolf,  called  Mountain  Billy;  he  was  so 
named  because  he  was  always  found  near  a  certain  mountain 
called  Sentinel  Butte.  This  would  limit  i>ls  r?age  to  a  radius 
of  a  dozen  miles. 

An  extraordinary  story  of  Wolf  endurance  is  related  by 
Archbishop  Tache,  of  St.  Boniface,  Man.*    A  large  Wolf  had 

'  Esquisse  sur  le  Nord-ouest,  de  rAmerique,  1901  (original  edition,  1868),  pp.  lao-i. 


MAP  43— RAHOB  OF  NORTH  AMBRICAH  WOLVES. 
Canb  oetiJarialb  Richardion. 

Ill'  'rS^^J^^K^'i^J  '^^  "*  !!"""''."^f  ">  ™P  f"  'f^^  therefore  I  lire : 

...     y.>     'T«  Mtnts  oj  specin  that  haw  been  dnirriheH  •n.^^i.r^-iik  .\,~  1 ^...  SJiiTLi  _i^^r!r      CoooeraiMd'  tr'buti      I 


k 


Mexico  I  h'.«^  Sr^UoS'^'JwJilf.'ii'^i*  '^"  ■'^'1'^  .are'^ntePy'wiS'tV^l^.Hty  l^lcTted  when  known.     .  .„ 

S.,i.th-w«i.  """""""O-    Originally  there  were  Wolvea  m  all  the  regicn  eaat  o*  the  Rockies,  but  never,  apparently,  in  the^i^^  ra^  ite 


!  region  eaat  c 
753 


ABUN- 
DAN'CE 


754         Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 

escaped  with  a  steel  trap  and  clog  on  its  foot,  at  Isle  a  la 
Crosse,  one  winter.  A  month  afterwards  it  was  killed  near 
Green  Lake,  90  miles  distant,  still  dragging  the  trap.  This 
is  evidence  of  a  very  wide  range. 

It  is  the  opinion  of  all  hunters  that  I  have  consulted 
that  the  summer  range  of  a  Gray-wolf  is  less  than  50  miles 
across.  In  winter,  however,  it  may  be  doubled  by  the  scarcity 
of  food,  but  at  all  times  there  is  a  region  that  it  recognizes  as 

home. 

Unlike  the  Deer,  the  Wo'.f,  so  far  as  known,  does  not  have 
two  home-regions,  one  for  summer  and  another,  entirely  dis- 
tinct, to  which  it  migrates  for  the  winter;  in  other  words,  the 
Gray-wolf  is  a  wide  ranger,  but  non-migratory. 

In  the  early  days  when  the  Buffalo  swarmed  on  the  Red 
and  Assiniboine  Rivers,  there  were  hundreds,  possibly  thou- 
sands, of  Gray-wolves  in  Manitoba.     Henry  writes,'  October 
4,  1799  [Junction  of  Park  and  Red  Rivers],  "Wolves  are 
very  numerous.    They  go  in  large  droves  and  keep  up  a  terri- 
ble howling  day  and  night,"  and  his  fur  reports  of  the  region 
give:   1 800-1,  204  Wolf  skins;  the  following  years  they  num- 
bered, 256,  801,  360,  690,  862,  420,  and  68.    These  included 
both  Gray-  and  Prairie-wolves  or  Coyotes,  probably  equally 
divided,  and  most  were  from  Pembina  Hills.     But  the  Gray- 
wolves  disappeared  with  the  Buffalo.    In  the  late  70's  and 
early  8o's  the  species  was  almost  unknown  on  our  prairies, 
and  the  few  left  were  undoubtedly  brought  in  through  following 
the  cart  trains  with  loads  of  meat  from  the  Plains  each  year. 
The  introduction  of  cattle,  however,  has  caused  them  to 
increase  again,  and  now  a  few  are  found  in  most  parts  of  our 
country.    About  a  dozen  were  killed  annually  within  our  limits 
during  the  late  8o's;  since  then  the  destruction  has  increased, 
but  so  have  the  Wolves,  and  I  think  it  probable  that  we  have 
from  50  to  100  pairs  of  Gray-wolves  in  Manitoba  to-day. 
Nevertheless,  it  is  well  to  remember  that  ascertained  figures 
are  usually  far  in  excess  of  the  estimates  when  it  is  the  question 

•Journal,  1897,  P-  ''*• 


ih 


'^'   w 


PLATE   LXm.— LIFE  STUDIES  OF   WOLVES. 
Uy  K  T.  Siton.    That  in  the  ccntn-  and  the  Iwi.  t.mard  the  ridht-hand  upper  comer  are  Gray-«ol«8  from  the  Buffalo  rtainj. 

1  he  rest  are  from  France. 


} 


1^ 


I 


Ui. 


mBssammism 


^^^^m 


Gray-wolf 


755 


of  animal  population.  Vernon  Bailey's  recent  investigations* 
in  central  Wyoming  have  shed  much  light  on  the  habits  and 
number  of  Wolves.  In  loo  square  miles  of  cattle  country  in 
Wind  River,  where  Wolves  are  fairly  numerous,  he  found  in 
March,  1906,  20  breeding  dens  of  Gray- wolves. 

The  State  of  Wyoming  has  paid  in  eleven  years  for  the 
killing  of  20,819  Wolves.  As  a  good  third  of  those  shot  or 
poisoned  are  never  found,  we  are  safe  to  believe  that  30,000 
Wolves  have  been  killed  in  that  time,  or  2,600  each  year,  and 
yet  these  numbers  are  rather  increasing,  from  which  I  should 
infer  that  there  are  between  5,000  and  10,000  Gray-wolves  in 
Wyoming  alone,  and  that  they  are  in  like  proportion  over  all 
of  the  cattle  country  from  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  to  the  Saskatche- 
wan. Taking  the  lower  figures  as  safer,  they  would  show  a 
total  of  500,000  Gray-wolves  still  roaming  the  West,  although 
their  numbers  are  unquestionably  much  less  than  in  primitive 
times. 


1 


The  Wolves  are  the  most  sociable  of  beasts  of  prey.  '*  ot  socia. 
only  do  they  gather  in  bands,  but  they  arrange  to  render  each  ""*'" 
other  assistance,  which  is  the  most  important  test  of  socia- 
bility. The  most  Gray-wolves  I  ever  saw  in  a  band  was  5. 
This  was  in  northern  New  Mexico,  January,  1894.  The  most 
I  ever  heard  of  in  a  band  was  32  that  were  seen  in  the  same 
region.  These  packs  are  apparently  formed  in  winter  only. 
I  think,  further,  that  this  species  is  not  gregarious  in  the  sense 
that  the  Antelope  and  Wapiti  are.  The  packs  are  probably 
temporary  associations  of  personal  acquaintances,  for  some 
temporary  purpose,  or  passing  reason,  such  as  food-question 
or  mating  instinct.  As  soon  as  this  is  settled  they  scatter. 
No  doubt  these  same  individuals  are  ready  to  reunite  as  soon 
as  a  new  occasion  requires  it,  and  would  resent  the  presence 
of  a  total  stranger.    This  I  take  to  be  true  sociability. 

An  instance  in  point  was  related  to  me  by  Gordon  M. 
Wright,  of  Carberry,  Man.  During  the  winter  of  1865  he  was 
logging  at  Sturgeon  Lake,  Ont.    One  Sunday  he  anu  some 

•  Forest  Service  Bull  7a,  U.  S.  Dep.  Agri.,  Wolves,  1907. 


^i 


i  ' 


m 

ii 

:  11 

1  '' 

j 

ml 

1 

Ii 

756         Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 

f  I'  *"%":::£    rTtSyle"  iTh^r,.  press..., 
sight  crust  on  the  snow,    e-v       J  .  ^g  ^ 

She  was  coming  towards  jh-'^^"^  J^  °^  2„,e  la^r  six 
shout  which  caused  her  to  sheer  on. 
Timber-wolves  appeared  galloping  on  her  trail    nea  , 

tails  horizontal,  and  howling  contmu-sly^  JJ^  y^r^.^y 
ing  their  hunting  cry.  but  as  soon  ^\')^y 'l"^^^  [^^  ^J^ 

"'Hiz  ^r  n«s:  Wot:::::  itstTi  *« 

overtook  her  and  pulled  •>"  <''^"' !;  ."^'""heep  in  distress; 

So    he  Detr  but  hair  and  so-ne  of  the  larger  bones  -d. he 
Wolves  fighting  among  themselves  "r  -"  *»-    Th'n  *^^ 

itSg'tr  Se  h?n'drSr^^  "ivera.  .— 

-  „eeJ^]=;^^^t^SrS" 
differing  according  to  the  region;  the  colder  it  .s,  the  later. 

„„»  Does  the  Gray-wolf  pair  ?    ™s  is  -  j™";^-"^':' 

•Contemporary  Review,  October,  1904- 


Gray-wolf 


7»7 


monogamous  race,"  he  says,  "will,  in  the  long  run,  defeat  a 
polygamous,"  and  then  he  claims  that  monogamy  is  the  rule 
in  all  the  higher  animals.  Hearne  says*  of  the  Wolves  in  the 
Barren  Grounds:  "They  couple  in  spring  and  generally  keep 
in  pairs  all  summer." 

Miles  Spencer,  an  observant  fur-trader,  at  Fort  George, 
Hudson  Bay,  is  thoroughly  conversant  with  the  Wolves  of 
that  region  and  maintains  that  the  male  assists  the  female  in 
caring  for  the  young.*  The  Wolf  hunters  in  New  Mexico  tell 
me  that  when  they  find  a  Wolf's  den,  two  old  ones  are  sure  to  be 
hovering  about,  and  in  January  I  saw  there  at  least  one  case 
of  a  male  being  deeply  devoted  to  a  certain  female.  A  good 
father  is  a  good  husband  among  animals.  Bailey  says:' 
"  Men  who  have  made  a  business  of  hunting  Wolves  for  the 
bounty  assert  that  they  are  usually  able  to  shoot  one  or  both 
of  the  old  Wolves  at  the  den  by  watching  the  trails,  or  hiding 
near  the  den  early  in  the  morning  before  the  Wolves  return  from 
the  night's  round.  These  statements  are  fully  corroborated 
by  my  own  experience.  While  watching  dens  in  Wyoming  I 
could  easily  have  shot  the  male  who  was  doing  sentinel  duty; 
for  although  he  watched  from  a  high  point,  from  which  he 
could  see  a  man  long  before  being  himself  seen,  still  in  his 
anxiety  to  dec(jy  me  away  he  often  came  within  rifle  range. 

**♦♦♦♦  4- 

"  It  is  now  positively  known  that  Wolves  always  pair,  at 
least  for  the  breeding  season." 


For  that  season  ufe- 

LONG 


How  long  does  this  ideal  condition  last  ? 
or  for  life  ? 

Probably  for  life.  I  have  several  times  seen  a  male  and 
female  Wolf  together  at  a  time  when  the  sexual  passion  was 
dormant;  and  yet  the  male  showed  the  female  more  attention 
than  he  would  have  done  had  she  been  simply  a  smaller  male. 
This  points  to  permanent  partnership. 

•  Journey,  1795,  p.  362. 

•  A.  P.  Low,  Expl.  James  Bay,  Can.  Geol.  Surv.,  1888,  App.  Ill,  p.  76  J. 
'  Op.  cil.,  Note  3,  pp.  22-3. 


I 


> 


r 


UNION 


a 


m 


ffi; 


158         Life-histories  of  Northern  AnimaU 

I„  ,he  London  Zoo,  at  P««°'  (D"'"''"', ''^♦l"'  The 
pair  ^  Wo,v«,  «^f  t|.r,   ?1  Sa;  I^ 

r.''Xpic:u::J«^r.hrGtay.. 

,o  be  five  years  ^    T^gb^  -'  y  ^^^         ^„,y  f 
r  JouTlo  it  U  n«toI  whe.hl  he  ha,  an,  parental 
'""The«  two  old  Wolves  live  In  harmony  except  v,hen  th. 

""X  SS:.  if'£  see.  that  she  ha.  ^one  too  far. 
she  apolti 'crby TckW  Lobo'.  face  in  a  conciliatory  manner. 

''™¥hf  fact".lt  the  male  shows  chivalrous  feeling,  and  that 

-iin==.:a-;:^-^^^^^^^^^^ 

"""a  trhornbury.  Superintendent  of  Schools.  Grinnell. 

'°'^"  rnihe r..*''par.  of  October  or  early  November,  .886. 
•  Mi  rf,ell  Coumy  Iowa,  while  we  were  hulling  corn,  my 
L"  ^nimvSwtwoGray-wolve.  come  out  of  the  wood., 
brother  and  myself  ^w  two  I.    y  ^^^^^  .^  ^.^ 

i/    Thev  seemed  to  know  that  we  had  no  gun. 
'The  fact  that  mo  Gray-wolves  unhungry  should  be  travel- 
Ung  t^gtther  In  fall  shows'a  friendly  alliance  most  easdy  ex- 
plained by  a  life  attachment  between  the  pair. 

•In  1909  this  same  relationship  continues. 


^     I 


Gray-wolf 


7A0 


There  is,  however,  some  evidence  for  the  other  view. 
The  Alaskan  si  gs  are  known  to  be  domesticated  Wolves; 

all  are  much  mixed  with  wild  Wolf  blood,  some  even  are  Wolves 
captured  when  young.  Captain  Dick  Craine,  who  spent  nine 
yea.s  among  them,  owning  and  handling  in  that  time  about 
200,  tells  me  that  he  has  several  times  known  a  pair  of  half- 
wolf  rrain-dogs  to  mate  and  remain  together  as  mates  until  the 
pups  "vere  well  grown,  after  which  they  parted.  Two  very 
marked  cases  happened  at  the  same  time.  In  these  the  father 
took  an  interest  in  the  pups  and  the  mother  allowed  him  to 
approach  them,  but  warned  all  others  away.  He  never  saw 
the  f:^thcr  feed  the  pups,  but  the  mother  often  did  so  by  dis- 
gorging. 

From  these  cases  he  infers  that  the  Wolves  mate  for  one 
season  but  not  for  life. 

Dr.  Woods  Hutchinson,  in  his  paper  on  "Animal  Mar- 
riage," says:* 

"There  is  a  general  impression  among  field-naturalists 
and  trappers  that  many  of  these  animals,  having  once  paired, 
come  together  again  in  the  u.  .ceeding  seasons,  although  they 
may  be  widely  separated  during  the  intervening  part  of  the 
year.  Indeed,  some  of  them  positively  declare  that  the  union 
among  Wolves,  Foxes,  Panthers,  Lions,  and  Seals,  is  practically 
for  life.  In  a  few  species,  however,  does  it  terminate  until  the 
expiration  of  the  period  required  for  the  young  to  become  able 
to  shift  for  themselves.  In  some  of  these,  like  certain  Wolves, 
the  father  practically  disappears  during  the  nest  period  of  the 
young,  but  joins  the  family  again  when  the  cubs  are  able  to 
run." 

A  degree  of  this  latter  custom  is  seen  in  Foxes,  Coyotes, 
and  several  other  carnivores.  It  "^eems  that  in  all  these  crea- 
tures there  is  a  deep-laid  instinct  to  leave  the  mother  quite  alone 
during  parturition,  and  until  the  young  are  some  days,  or  in 
some  cases  weeks,  old,  after  which  the  father  is  allowed  to  join 
the  family.  This,  it  will  be  remembered,  is  closely  paralleled 
by  the  practice  of  many  tribes  of  human  savages. 

•*  Note  4. 


I 


0 


n, 


ft  f. 


760  Lifc-historics  of  Northern  Animals 

As  a  general  argument,  mating  customs  are  so  deeply 
rooted  as  to  be  very  uniform  in  a  given  family;  thus  all  the 
true  pigeons  pair,  all  the  true  Deer  are  polygamous;  and  every 
evidence,  direct  or  collateral,  I  can  find  on  any  of  the  true  Dogs, 
except  the  case  of  the  Alaskan  team  dogs  (in  domestication), 
points  to  perfect  and  permanent  monogamy  as  the  ru'e. 

DEN  The  nursery  den  is  cither  a  natural  cave,  a  hollow  log  or 

stump,  or  a  hole  in  the  ground,  dug  out  by  the  parents  them- 
selvjs.  Sometimes  they  enlarge  a  Badger  hole,  and  in  any 
case  the  bed  is  not  far  from  the  entrance. 

The  Gra>-wolf  apparently  does  not  line  its  nest.  Roland 
D.  Carson,  of  the  Philadelphia  Zoo,  writes  me  com-.-ming  those 
that  bred  in  the  gardens: 

"The  females  dug  a  hole  in  the  earth  but  made  no  attempt 
at  lining  the  nests,  and  when  hay  and  other  materials  were  put 
in  it  to  form  a  bed  they  were  promptly  thrown  out." 

As  the  lining  habit  is  instinctive  in  the  kinds  that  practice 
it,  we  note  with  interest  that  many  animals  are  tormented  with 
parasites  which  harbour  and  breed  among  the  nest  material, 
so  that  lining  is  a  dangerous  comfort. 

GKTA-  According  to  all  observers  the  period  of  gestation  is  63 

^"'''       days  in  the  Gray-wolf,  as  in  most,  if  not  all,  of  the  true  Dogs. 

vouNG  Th<;  young  number  3  to  13,  but  are  usually  6  or  7.    When 

born  they  are  blind  and  almost  naked,  and,  like  young  dogs, 
their  eyes  a»  ?  no*  opened  until  the  ninth  day.  Carson  says  that 
the  only  litter  of  tiie  Wolf  pups  that  he  was  able  to  watch  closely 
"did  not  get  their  eyes  opened  till  the  thirteenth  day."  Pos- 
sibly these  were  prematu»ely  born. 

W.  H.  Blackburn  reports  that  he  has  watched  several  litters 
in  the  National  Zoo  at  Washington  and  found  their  eyes  opened 
a  little  on  the  seventh  day  and  fully  opened  on  the  ninth.  Lit- 
ters have  been  born  there  on  March  23,  27,  29,  and  April  4. 

Those  in  the  London  Zoo  (parents  from  Texas)  were 
born  March  28;   all  the  four  litters  bred  in  the  Philadelphia 


PLATE   l.XIV.— <;RAVW0I.F   SCRATCHINli    HIUSELF. 
Life  itudics  by  E.  T.  Scluo. 


iU 


i 


Gray-wolf 


761 


Zoo  wee  born  in  March  and  April,  the  earliest  March  i8,  the 
latest  April  19.  Even  in  the  Red  River  Valley  they  are  born 
about  the  same  time,  as  the  following  from  Henry's  Journal 
attests:'" 

[Park  River  Post  o:.  Kt  rj  Kiver]  "April  7,  1801.  One  of 
my  men  brought  in  ;  'Volves  of  icis  year  which  he  had 
found  in  a  hole  in  t! •-'  j;,iound;    tiey  sometimes  have  their 


young  in  a    hollow   1  :;;   <.'-   stnmr,. 


*  * 


*  Another  of  my 


STINCT 


men  brought  in  6  young  Wolves  he  had  found  in  one  hole." 

"Shortly  after  b'rth  and  long  before  their  eyes  were  open  mater- 
the  mother-wolf  [in  the  Philadelphia  Zoo]  would  come  to  the  ^^^ 
front  of  the  enclosure  with  one  of  her  pups  in  her  mouth,  some- 
times returning  for  another  one  or  two,  but  all  were  never 
brought  out  at  one  time;  one  was  carried  about  for  a  while 
and  then  returned.  This  was  generally  done  when  the  keeper 
was  in  the  back  passage  or  adjoining  cage.  Nervousness 
from  fear  of  harm  to  her  babies  seems,  in  most  cases  at  least, 
to  have  been  the  cause  of  this  habit." 

The  maternal  instincts  of  the  she-wolf  are  of  a  high  order. 
Carson,  above  quoted,  remarks: 

"  We  have  no  instance  of  a  Gray-wolf  killing  or  eating  her 
young,  but  Prairie-wolves  in  our  Zoo  have  not  only  killed  their 
young,  but  eaten  them  when  they  have  died  from  other  causes." 

When  I  was  at  Sidney,  Ohio,  March,  1902,  I  met  an  old 
hunter  who  related  a  curious  and  interesting  story  that  illus- 
trates the  motherliness  of  the  she-wolf.  About  twenty  years 
before,  when  he  lived  in  Wisconsin,  a  bounty  of  ten  dollars 
each  was  put  on  Gray-wolves,  and  he  spent  a  good  ileal  of 
time  hunting  them.  One  day  he  saw  a  Wolf  come  to  the  river 
to  drink.  He  shot  and  killed  it,  then  found  that  it  was  a 
female  suckling  young.  He  searched  many  days  for  the  nest 
and  could  not  find  it. 

Two  weeks  later  he  shot  another  female  Wolf  coming  out 
of  a  hollow  log.  She  also  was  suckling  young.  He  crawled 
into  the  log  and  found  13  Wolf  pups  of  two  different  sizes — 

"Journal,  1897,  pp.  174-5. 


GROWTH 

OF 

YOUNG 


FEEDING 
YOUNG 


762         Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 

6  very  small  ones,  7  much  larger.  She  had  but  6  teats  in 
commission,  so  he  concluded  that  this  she-wolf  had  rescued 
the  young  of  the  first  female  he  had  shot. 

The  young  ones  of  the  Philadelphia  Zoo  would  whine  like 
puppies  as  soon  as  they  were  born,  and  the  mother  would  an- 
swer and  call  them  in  the  same  manner. 

As  soon  as  they  could  see  they  began  to  play  together  like 
the  voung  of  the  domestic  dog.  ,    .      .  n 

'At  from  three  to  four  weeks,  according  to  their  vigour,  all 
would  come  out  daily,  never  at  night,  and  sit  or  play  in  the  sun 
about  the  door  of  the  den,  but  were  ever  ready  to  skurry  in 
again  at  the  slightest  alarm.  According  to  Lee  Hampleman, 
my  Rocky  Mountain  guide,  the  young  ones  in  Colorado  hrst 
began  to  follow  the  mother  for  short  distances  from  the  den 
in  June  when  they  were  about  three  months  oid. 

The  question  how  they  are  fed  has  been  much  discussed; 
and  siiing  down  the  evidence  of  many  observers,  it  may  be 
considered  sure  that  they  are  simply  suckled  for  about  six 
weeks,  during  which  time  the  father  has  little  to  do  with  them. 
Now  the  mother  begins  to  disgorge  solid  food  for  them.  Many 
observers  say  that  they  have  watched  closely  but  never  saw 
anything  of  this.    Carson,   however,   states   positively  and 

conclusively."  ,     r     .  j-  j 

"  At  five  or  six  weeks  they  began  to  eat  the  food  disgorged 
for  them  by  the  mother,  and  later,  when  they  wanted  food  of 
this  kind,  they  would  jump  at  her  mouth,  sometimes  several  at 
once,  until  she  supplied  them." 

The  father  soon  becomes  active,  not  disgorging,  so  tar  as 
we  know,  but  bringing  fresh  game  to  the  den.  On  this  point 
D  A  Thornbury,  Superintendent  of  Schools,  Gnnnell,  Iowa, 
also  writes  me:  "My  father  has  many  times  found  in  the 
mouth  of  the  hole  in  which  he  took  some  young  Wolves,  bodies 
of  Rabbits  and  chickens,  and  in  one  instance  he  took  from  the 
hole  thf  partly  eaten  body  of  a  lamb." 

"  In  penomd  letter. 


ll    ■? 


Gray-wolf 


768 


Of  the  bove-mentioned  brood  of  8  young  Wolves  in  the 
London  Zoo,  4  were  raised  by  a  collie  foster-mother,  and  they 
became  very  tame  as  well  as  unusually  fine  specimens.  The 
rest  were  left  with  the  mother;  2  died.  The  others  grew  up, 
but  were  weaklings  ard  very  shy  and  wild.  The  collie  was  fed 
on  dog-biscuit,  the  moi.:er  Wolf  on  raw  meat,  the  only  food  she 
would  touch. 

"After  the  collie-raised  4  were  put  in  a  paddock  by  them- 
selves they  also  grew  wild  and  timid,  except  i,  which  for  some 
unknown  cause  remained  tractable  and  dog-like.  This  is  a 
most  interesting  case  of  individual  variation  in  temperament 
and  suggests  how  breeds  of  d  .nestic  dogs  have  been  brought 
to  their  present  condition  of  tameness  by  breeding  from  stock 
artificially  selected  for  that  attribute."  (R.  /.  Pocock  in 
letter.) 

"One  was  sold  to  a  member  of  the  Society,  who  lives  in 
the  country,  where  the  young  Wolf  has  all  the  liberty  of  a  dog. 
It  follows  a  carriage,  attends  garden  parties,  and  is  a  favourite 
with  children.  It  is  larger  than  either  of  its  parents."  (Dr. 
J.  D.  Drewitt  in  letter.) 

The  following  year  Dr.  Drewitt  wrote  me,  June  25, 
1905:  "Blanco  has  had  another  litter  of  puppies,  and,  as 
usual,  those  that  were  brought  up  by  a  collie  wet-nurse  were 
tame,  and  those  which  were  nursed  by  the  mother,  wild.  All 
the  puppies  had  lead-coloured  iris. 

Miles  Spencer  says"  that  the  young  are  suckled  for  two 
months  after  birth,  in  the  region  about  Hudson  Bay. 

Carson,  however,  writes  me:  "It  is  probable  they  would 
nurse  for  five  or  six  months,  but  as  a  rule  we  took  them  from 
the  mother  before  they  were  entirely  weaned.  The  weaning 
was  very  gradual,  and  towards  the  last  the  mother  would  snap 
when  they  attempted  to  suckle  her." 

At  this  time  the  only  enemies  that  the  young  Wolves  have  enemies 
to  fear  are  eagles,  man,  insects,  and  disease.     Eagles  very  often 
pick  up  the  youngsters,  as  they  play  around  the  den  door;  man 

"  See  Note  6. 


'fs 


li 


EDUCA- 
TION 


764         Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 

destroys  the  mother,  and  digs  out  the  pups,  if  he  can  locate  the 
den;  parasites,  insects,  and  disease  also  are  to  be  dreaded^ 

Hearn.  makes  some  remarks  which  show  the  Northern 
Indians  and  ti.-  Wolves  on  a  very  friendly  footing. 

The  Wolves,  he  says,"  "always  burrow  underground  to 
brine  forth  their  young;  and  though  it  is  natural  to  suppose 
th  m'  verTfierce  at  tho!e  times,  yet  I  have  frequently  seen  the 
Indians  go  to  their  dens  and  take  out  the  young  ones  and  play 
with  them.  I  never  knew  a  Northern  Ind.an  hurt  one  of 
Them-  on  the  contrary,  they  always  put  them  carefully  mto 
the";n  again;  and  I  have  sometimes  seen  them  pamt  the  faces 
of  the  voune  Wolves  with  vermilion  or  red  ochre. 

In  August  the  young  .re  so  far  grown  that  they  be^n  to  fol- 
low the  mother  about  in  her  hunting  expeditions,  and  the  de  .s 
abandoned.  By  this  time  the  doorway  is  littered  with  the  bones, 
fur,  and  feathers  of  the  game  brought  home  by  the  parents. 

The  education  of  the  cubs  now  begins  in  earnest.    The 
chief  means  is  example.     Whether  consciously  «;  ";»' °"  ff^ 
oart  of  the  teacher  or  of  the  class,  there  can  be  no  doubt  that 
itTs  by  seeing  the  mother  do,  or  not  do,  that  the  little  ones  earn 
much  that  is  necessary  to  their  success  in  life.    Thus  she 
^piref them  with  terror  of  a  trap,  by  showing  her  own  terro 
of  if    no  matter  whether  conscious  or  unconscious   thts  ts 
tealnT  The  same  is  true,  I  suppose,  of  all  the  ideas  that 
modern  Wolves  have;  that  is,  the  ideas  so  recent  that  theyhave 
not  yet  had  time  to  become  ingrained  as  instinct^ 

"They  are  still  puppy-like  at  one  year,  and  hardly  full 
grown  until  eighteen  months  old;  even  then  they  did  not  have 
fhe  fully  adult  look.  The  females  in  the  Ph|ladelphia  Zoo  did 
not  come  in  heat  till  they  were  two  years  old.       (j;«7°"''. 

This  agrees  with  observations  made  on  the  Wolves  m  the 
London  Zoo.  It  is  likely,  therefore,  that  the  Gray-wolf  is  not 
manure  until  its  third  year,  thenceforth  thejemale  breeds  on^^^^ 
each  year  while  in  vigour;  that  is,  probably,  till  her  ninth  or 
tenth  year. 

"Joumey,  1795.  PP-  36a-3- 


Gray-wolf 


765 


The  range  of  the  Gray-wolf  has  a  known  history.  When  history 
the  Buffalo  swarmed  over  Western  America  from  the  AUegha- 
nies  to  the  Rockies,  and  from  Great  Slave  Lake  to  Central 
Mexico,  their  herds  were  followed  by  troops  of  Buffalo-wolves 
that  preyed  on  the  weak  and  helpless.  As  the  Buffalo  disap- 
peared the  Wolves  were  harder  put  for  a  living.  When  the 
last  great  Buffalo  herds  were  destroyed  and  the  Wolves  were 
left  without  their  usual  support,  they  naturally  turned  their 
attention  to  the  cattle  on  the  ranges. 

The  ranchmen  declared  vigorous  war  against  them: 
traps  and  poison  were  imported  in  vast  quantities,  a  bounty 
was  offered  for  each  Wolf  scalp,  and  every  inducement  held 
out  to  wolf-hrnters. 

In  those  days  the  Wolves  were  comparatively  unsuspicious, 
and  it  was  easy  to  trap  or  poison  them.  The  result  was  that 
enormous  numbers  were  killed  in  the  early  days  of  1880  to  1888 
or  1889;  so  many,  indeed,  that  the  species  seemed  on  the 
verge  of  extinction.  The  remnant  of  the  race  continued  on  the 
foothills  of  the  Rockies  or  the  Badlands,  but  they  were  so  rare 
as  to  be  no  longer  a  factor  in  the  cattle  question.  Then  new 
knowledge,  a  better  comprehension  of  the  modern  dangers, 
seemed  to  spread  among  the  Wolves.  They  learned  how  to 
detect  and  defy  the  traps  and  poison,  and  in  r>ome  way  the 
knowledge  was  passed  from  one  to  another,  vill  all  Wolves 
were  fully  possessed  of  the  information.  How  this  is  done  is 
not  easy  to  say.  It  is  easier  to  prove  that  it  is  done.  Few 
Wolves  ever  get  into  a  trap,  fewer  still  get  into  a  trap  and  out 
again,  and  thus  learn  that  a  steel-trap  is  a  thing  to  be  feared. 
And  yet  all  Wolves  have  that  knowledge,  as  every  trapper 
knows,  and  since  they  could  not  get  it  at  first-hand,  they  must 
have  got  it  second-hand;  that  is,  the  information  was  com- 
municated to  them  by  others  of  their  kind. 

It  is  well  known  among  hunters  that  a  piece  of  iron  is 
enough  to  protect  any  carcass  from  the  Wolves.  If  a  Deer  or 
Antelope  has  been  shot  and  is  to  be  left  out  over  night,  all  that 
is  needed  for  its  protection  is  an  old  horseshoe,  a  spur,  or  even 
any  part  of  the  hunter's  dress.    No  wolf  will  go  near  such 


i' 


;■  )• 


766         Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 

suspicious  looking  or  human-tainted  things;    he  will  starve 
rather  than  approach  the  carcass  so  guarded. 

With  poison,  a  similar  change  has  come  about,  btrycri- 
ninc  was  considered  infallible,  when  first  it  was  miroduced. 
It  did  vast  destruction  for  a  time,  then  the  Wolves  seemed  to 
discover  the  danger  associated  with  that  particular  smell,  and 
will  no  longer  take  the  poisoned  bait,  as  I  know  from  number- 
less experiences. 

It  is  thoroughly  well  known  among  the  cattle  men  now 
that  the  only  chance  of  poisoning  Wolves  is  in  the  late  summer 
and  early  autumn,  when  the  young  are  beginnmg  to  run  with 
the  mother.  She  cannot  watch  over  aH  of  them,  the  whole 
time,  and  there  is  a  chance  of  some  of  them  finding  the  bait 
and  taking  it  before  they  have  been  taught  to  let  that  sort  of 

smell-thing  alone.  . 

The  result  is  that  the  Wolves  are  on  the  mcrease,  have 
been,  indeed,  since  the  late  8o's.  They  have  returned  to 
many  of  their  old  hunting-grounds  in  the  cattle  countries,  and 
each  year  they  seem  to  be  more  numerous  and  more  widely 
spread,  thanks  to  their  mastery  of  the  new  problems  forced 
upon  them  by  civilization. 

HABITS  The  Gray-wolf  is  one  of  the  shyest  of  wild  animals.     I 

have  talked  with  men  who  have  lived  their  whole  lives  in 
regions  where  Gray-wolves  were  far  from  rare,  and  yet  they 
have  never  seen  one.    They  hear  them  at  night,  they  see  their 
trails  and  their  work  in  the  morning,  but  never  see  the  animals 
themselves  until  after  they  have  been  trapped  or  poisoned. 
Their  extreme  shyness  is  partly  a  modern  development,  as 
also  is  the  respect  for  man,  which  now  fully  possesses  every 
Gray-wolf  in  the  cattle  country.    There  are  many  records  that 
show  the  Wolf  to  have  been  a  continual  danger  to  mankind  in 
the  bow-and-arrow  days.    There  can  be  no  doubt  that  then 
man  was  considered  a  fair  prey,  a  difficult  and  wide-awake  one, 
no  doubt,  but  still  a  creature  to  be  eaten  in  times  of  scarcity. 
Consequently,  each  winter    i  America,  as  in  Europe,  a  number 
of  human  beings  were  kilU     ind  devoured  by  hungr,  Wolves. 


■n  u 


'•H 


Gray-wolf 


767 


During  the  last  twenty  years,  however,  I  cannot  find  a  never 
rehable  instance  of  Western  Wolves,  or  especially  Manitoba  iZi^i'*"' 
Wolves,  killing  or  even  attacking  human  beings. 

The  following,  related  by  George  Frascr,  of  Winnipeg, 
aptly  illustrates  the  disposition  of  Wolves  to-day:  In  1886^ 
he  was  travelling  near  Whitewater  Lake,  in  southern  Manitoba! 
He  came  on  a  Swede  who  was  drawing  a  long  box  wagon  in 
which  were  three  or  four  quarters  of  beef.  Sometimes  on  the 
load  and  sometimes  running  around  were  two  large  Gray- 
wolves,  feeding  on  the  beef  in  spite  of  the  Swede's  efforts  to 
keep  them  off  with  a  pitchfork.  The  driver  and  the  Wolves 
dodged  around  the  wagon  for  some  time  before  the  man  heard 
Eraser's  shouts  to  stand  aside;  when  he  did,  Fraser  shot 
both  Wolves.  The  Swede  said  these  two  had  been  a  pest  for 
some  time,  killing  his  sheep  and  one  colt.  They  had  never 
offered  violence  to  man. 


;m| 


I  have  seen  many  recent  newspaper  clippings  that  re- 
corded harrowing  tales  of  men,  women  and  children  devoured 
by  grewsome  packs,  but  each  and  all  have  crumbled  into 
newspaper  stories  when  fully  investigated.  The  question  then 
arises,  are  the  old  records  wrong,  or  are  the  modern  Wolves  of 
different  species  ?  The  answer  is,  the  modern  Wolves  are  the 
same  as  the  old  ones,  except  in  one  particular,  viz.,  that  they 
have  been  educated  by  fear  to  let  man  alone.  Man  with  the 
modern  gun  is  a  different  creature  from  man  with  the  bow 
and  arrow.  The  Wolves  have  learned  this,  and  are  now 
no  -nore  a  menace  to  human  life  than  are  the  Prairie-wolves 
or  Coyotes.  Not  only  do  they  abstain  from  harming  man, 
but  they  have  learned  that  they  ure  likely  to  be  harmed  by 
him,  unless  they  keep  out  of  sight  in  the  daytime.  This,  I 
think,  is  why  Wolves  are  so  rarely  seen,  even  when  com- 
paratively common. 

In  accounting  for  these  changes  it  is  not  necessary  to  at- 
tribute human  intelligence  to  this  animal.  Evidently  much 
hard  luck  and  many  unpleasant  surprises  have  engendered  in 
it  a  deep  and  general  distrust  of  all  strange  things,  as  well  as 


• 


^l 


IV 


768        Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 

a  well-founded  fear  of  anything  that  bears  the  taint  of  a  human 
being  This  distrust,  combined  with  its  exquisite  sense  ot 
smell,  may  explain  much  that  Iooks  like  profound  sagacity 
in  this  animal.  Nevertheless,  this  will  not  explain  all,  as 
I  have  had  very  good  reason  to  remark  again  and  again, 
when  1  have  endeavoured  to  trap  or  poison  Wolves  on  the 

catde  ranges.  .  j  ♦ 

And  even  ascribing  much  to  mere  shyness  does  not 
remove  it  from  the  sphere  of  intelligence,  though  doubtless 
ranking  it  lower  in  that  department,  making  it  a  vague  fear 
of  the  unknown,  in  place  of  a  dread  of  danger  well  compre- 
hended. 

FisHiNQ  One  of  the  most  curious  instances,  I  find,  is  given  by 

B.  R.  Ross.  The  evidence  is  purely  circumstantial  and  not 
complete  at  that,  but  Ross  was  a  good  naturalist  and  evidently 
believed  the  case  proven: 

"In  the  month  of  May,"  he  says,"  "when  the  holes  cut 
in  the  ice  do  not  freeze  up,  ihe  fisherman  at  Fort  Resolution 
on  visiting  his  trout  lines,  set  at  some  distance  from  the  Fort, 
discovered  that  several  had  been  visited;  the  lines  and  hooks 
were  lying  on  the  ice,  as  well  as  the  remains  of  a  partly  eaten 
trout,  and  a  Wolf's  track  was  observed  about  the  place.  The 
fact  was  the  Wolf  had  hauled  up  the  lines  and  helped  himself 
to  what  fish  he  required.  This  occurred  again  and  then  ceased, 
the  animal  having  been  probably  driven  away  by  the  .ogs  of 
the  Post." 

FOOD  The  diet  of  this  species  includes  every  kind  of  animal 

food,  that  he  can  secure,  from  Mice  to  Moose.  Through- 
out the  summer  Mice  and  such  'small  deer'  are  doubtless 
the  staples.  The  coming  of  winter  makes  a  radical  change. 
First,  it  puts  the  small  game  beyond  reach;  second,  it  robs 
the  Moose  and  Deer  of  the  safe  refuge  afforded  by  the  lakes 
and  rivers,  and  thus  brings  these  great  niminants  into  the 
dietary  of  the  Wolves. 

»  Fur-bearing  Anim.,  Mack.  R.,  Can.  Nat.,  January,  1861,  p.  10. 


^Ji' 


Gray-wolf 


769 


MOOSE- 
KILLER 


Writing  of  the  northern  species,  R.  MacFarlane  says:" 
"These  Wolves  yearly  succeed  in  killing  as  picy  quite  a 
large  number  of  Reindeer  and  not  a  few  Moose.  On  one 
occasion,  vhile  travelling  upon  the  ice  between  Forts  Liard 
and  Nelson,  in  the  Mackenzie  River  District,  we  came  across 
a  big  patch  of  hard-packed  snow  on  the  Liard  River  where  a 
large  buck  Moose  had  evidently  been  surrounded  and  no  doubt 
overpowered,  after  a  most  gallant  fight  for  life,  by  perhaps  a 
score  of  ferocious  and  cowardly  Wolves.  A  few  well-picked 
bones  and  the  skull  were  the  only  relics  left.  At  a  short  dis- 
tance, however,  we  perceived  a  full-grown  Gray-wolf,  which 
was  at  once  shot.  It  had  one  of  its  hind-legs  shattered  by  a 
kick  from  the  Moose,  which  so  disabled  it  that  it  could  scarcely 
crawl.  Had  its  companions  not  been  fully  gorged,  they  would 
doubtless  have  fallen  upon  and  eaten  it,  too." 

The  havoc  wrought  by  Wolves  during  winter  among  the 
Whitetailed  Deer  is  well  known,  but  at  all  times  they  prefer 
an  easier  prey,  the  easier  the  better;  even  carrion  is  always 
acceptable  food,  and  I  have  several  times  heard  of  Wolves  hard 
pressed  in  winter,  filling  their  bellies  with  horse  dung  gathered 
on  the  highway. 


The  habit  of  burying  surplus  food  seems  to  be  common  to  stor- 
all  the  Wolf  tribe.     Roland  D.  Carson  writes  me  of  the  Wolves  *°^ 
m  the  Philadelphia  7 no:    "Our  males  and  females  often  bury 
surplus  food,  but  the  females  have  not  been  observed  to  do  so 
more  than  usual  just  previous  to  the  birth  of  the  young." 

Captain  Craine's  half-wolf  train-dogs,  if  not  hungry, 
would  bury  their  food,  and  water  on  the  place  or  even  on  the 
food.  This  latter  performance  is  explained  in  the  Wolverine 
chapter. 


These  train-dogs  afford  much  light  on  the  ways  of  their  phop- 
wild  kinsmen.     One  of  them  will  watch  his  cache  all  day  and  fN-" 
in  Its  defence  fearlessly  attack  another  that  ordinarily  he  was  ^"*" 
afraid  of     The  big  dog  rarely  presses  the  point  under  these 

"  Mam.  N.  W.  Ter.,  Proc.  U.  S.  N.  M.,  1905,  p.  69a. 


in 


n 


770         Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 

circumstances,  but  acts  as  though  he  knew  his  cause  was  weak. 
This  beginning  of  property  law  is  of  cardinal  interest. 

These  hoards  may  be  of  vital  service  to  the  Wolf,  but  the 
instinct,  as  at  present  developed,  is  very  crude,  and  scarcely 
to  be  compared  with  the  fine  providence  of  Beaver  and  Squirrel. 

DOPING  Wolves,  as  well  as  dogs,  have  a  singular  habit  of  rolling 

in  carrion,  or  'doping,'  as  it  is  called.  They  seem  delighted 
with  the  opportunity  of  making  themselves  reck  with  stench  of 
the  foulest  flesh  or  fish  they  can  find.  Although  the  dogs  arc 
without  the  personal  nicety  of  cats,  they  do  have  some  habits  of 
cleanliness,  and  spend  a  certain  amount  of  time  in  dressing 
the  fur.  Who  has  not  seen  a  dog  bite  the  burrs  out  of  his  coat, 
or  the  ice  balls  from  his  legs  ?  A  dog  or  a  Wolf  which  is 
wounded  or  bleeding  will  take  the  trouble  to  remove  the  stains 
from  his  fur,  and  the  myster>-  of  his  rolling  in  carrion  is  unex- 
plained. It  cannot  be  a  pleasant  smell  to  him,  one  would 
think,  because  often       :s  it  is  stuflF  he  will  not  cat. 

The  suggestion  i..at  it  is  based  on  the  sexual  instinct  docs 
not  seem  to  hold,  as  female  dogs,  as  well  as  males,  will  do  it 
at  any  time.    I  know  of  no  satisfactory  explanation. 

VOICE  The  usual  cry  of  the  Wolf  is  a  long  smooth  howl.     It  is 

quite  musical,  though  decidedly  eerie  when  heard  in  the  woods 
r.t  night.  I  cannot  distinguish  it  from  the  howl  of  a  large  dog. 
Its  beginning  is  also  much  like  the  hoot  of  a  horned  owl. 
This  is  usually  the  'muster'  or  'rallying  cry'— the  intimation 
of  the  Wolf  to  his  friends  that  he  has  found  game  too  strong 
for  him  to  manage  alone.  It  is  the  call  usually  heard  at  night 
about  the  settlers'  huts.  A  second  sound  is  a  higher  pitched 
howl,  vibrating  on  two  notes.  This  may  be  styled  the '  hunting 
song';  it  corresponds  exactly  with  the  full  cry  of  a  pack  of 
hounds  on  the  hot  scent.  A  third  is  a  combination  of  a  short 
bark  and  a  howl.  It  seems  to  mean  the  'closing  in'  for  a 
finish.  There  arc  several  others  that  I  have  often  heard,  but 
cannot  comprehend.  Some  of  my  hunting  friends  claim  that 
they  can  discriminate  the  calls  of  the  she-wolf  to  her  mate  and 


r  ■ui^^-w-^-''^*^'^^'^'-  ■-- 


w 


I 


H^i 


V  i 


fc|: 


Gray-wolf  771 

her  young;  thr  call  of  the  young  to  their  mothers,  etc.  I  doubt 
not  these  signals  are  used,  just  as  surely  as  dogs  use  corrc- 
sponding  sounds  among  themselves,  but  I  have  not  been  able 
to  distmguish  them.  The  whining  used  by  the  young  while 
still  m  the  nest  has  already  been  spoken  of,  as  well  as  the 
mother's  similar  response. 

Besides  these  sounds  as  a  means  of  intercommunication,  inter 
Wolves  use  example  as  already  set  forth,  and  scents.  ^"^^'^'^■■ 

1  he  scent  method  ot  communicating  ideas  I  made  the  ^J* 
subject  of  an  article  in  Forest  and  Stream,  January  2?    1807 
I  reproduce  the  substance  of  it  here. 

It  is  well  known  that  not  only  each  species  of  animal  but  smell 
that  each  individL-'  has  Its  own  peculia-  <=mell,  conclusive  '^''" 
evidence  of  which  is  found  in  the  fact  tha       -    A  dog  has  no 
difficulty  in  following  his  master  through  a  cr^./d,  or  keeping 
to  the  track  of  the  animal  he  is  hunting,  though  it  be  crossed  by 
the  tracks  of  many  others. 

It  is  further  known  that,  even  though  it  always  retain  its 
mdividuality,  this  personal  odour  varies  with  the  condition 
of  the  animal.  Thus  a  horse  smells  strong  after  exercise; 
Canada  grouse  and  Snow-shoe  Hares  smell  of  spruce  or  cedar 
when  they  feed  on  these;  a  Mink  smells  differently  when 
angry;  dogs  in  ill-health  become  malodorous;  Deer  in  rut 
become  offensively  strong-smelling;  a  female  animal  in  rut  is 
recognized  afar  by  the  scent. 

In  many  species  additional  effect  is  given  to  the  body  odouk- 
scent  by  the  development  of  special  glands  which  secrete  a  """^^^ 
strong  odour.  These  glands  are  usually  situated  in  a  part 
which  IS  habitually  brought  in  contact  with  the  ground  o  the 
vegetation.  Thus,  in  a  Musk-deer  they  are  on  the  side  cf  the 
belly;  in  the  Peccary,  on  the  back;  in  our  common  Desr  on 
the  tarsus,  between  the  toes,  and  in  the  lachrymal  fossa  In 
some  animals,  however,  the  contact  with  the  ground  is  secured 
in  a  different  way.     The  glands  are  situated  within  the  anal 


SI 


^r 


""^s.  ™--r:r5a**tti,H!i.  - 


m 


WOLF 
TELE- 
PHONES 


77«         Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 

and  preputial  orifices,  so  that  the  natural  «^^«=»'°"«^;'' ';^";;;;; 
bear  with  them  the  taint  which  reveals  so  much  to  the  next 
passer-by  of  the  same  species. 

In  order  that  this  second  animal  may  find  tl     depot  of 
intelligence  quickly,  it  is  necessary  that  his  disco. cry  of  the 
Dlace  be  notlft  to  chance;  and,  incredible  as  it  may  seem  at 
fissigl  there  is  abundant  proof  that  the  whole  of  a  region 
fnhabifed  by  Wolves  is  laid  out  in  signal  stations  or  intelligence 
depot       Usually  there  is  one  at  each  mile  or  less,  >^rymg 
luch  with  the'nature  of  the  ground.    The  marks  of  the^ 
Tepots  or  odour-posts,  are  various;  a  stone,  a  tree,  a  bush,  a 
BuS  skull,  a  post,  a  mound,  or  any  si-;^ar  object  set.^^^^ 
provided  only  that  it  is  conspicuous  on  account  of  its  colour 
opposition;  usually  it  is  more  or  less  isolated,  or  else  promi- 
nent by  being  at  the  crossing  of  two  trails. 

Now,  a  man  returning  to  town  goes  at  once  to  his  hote  or 
club,  glar^ces  over  the  last  three  or  four  names  on  the  register 
adds  his  own,  then  makes  a  more  thorough  inspection.    And 
the  behaviour  of  an  animal  arrived  at  an  odour-post  is  precisely 
the  same.     It  approaches,  hastily  cniffs  the  post,  adds  its  own 
odour,  then  makes  a  more  thorough  investigation.    The  auen- 
tion  that  dogs  pay  to  lamp-posts  in  town  is  P^e-ely  Ae^^^^^^ 
habit,  a  trifle  over-developed  through  idleness,  etc.,  but  it  will 
serve  to  illustrate.     I  have  many  times  seen  a  dog  appr^ch 
the  post,  sniff,  then  growl,  register,  growl  yin.  and,  with 
bristling  mane  and  glowing  eyes,  scratch  fiercely  with  his  h  nd- 
feet,  and  walk  off  very  stiffly,  glancing  back  from  time  to  time. 
A^in,  it  is  common  to  see  a  dog,  after  the  P^hminanes  he 
come  keenly  interested,  trot  about  the  vicinity,  and  come  back 
again  and  again  to  make  his  own  record  more  evident.    At 
o£  times  one  sees  the  anim.l,  suddenly  aroused  by  the  news^ 
Se  up  a  recent  trail  or  fly  to  the  next  signal  post,  and  so 
continue  in  pursuit  of  whatever  it  was  that  was  sensed. 

Wolves  do  precisely  the  same,  but  I  believe  they  carry  it 
"--    to  a  higher  pitch,  and  there  can  be  no  doubt  that  a  newly 


Gray-wolf 


773 


arrived  Wolf  is  quickly  aware  of  the  visit  that  has  recently  been 
paid  to  the  signal  post— by  a  personal  friend  or  foe,  by  a 
female  -n  search  of  a  mate,  a  young  or  old,  sick  or  well,  hungry, 
hunted,  or  gorged  beast.  From  the  trail  he  learns  further  the 
direction  whence  it  came  and  whither  it  went.  Thus  the  main 
items  of  news  essential  to  his  life  are  obtained  by  the  system 
of  signal  posts. 

The  Wolf,  as  well  as  the  dog,  has  further  a  habit  of  uri-  expres- 
nating  or  defecating  on  certain  things  that  appeal  to  his  nose,  s{,°'^jj"' 
without  arousing  his  i.  Dpetite.  He  usually  follows  this  action 
by  vigorously  scratching  the  dust  with  his  hind-feet  over 
and  around  the  object  defiled.  This  treatment  is  commonly 
accorded  to  poisoned  baits  as  well  as  to  traps.  I  am  inclined 
to  think  that  Wolves  have  been  taken  in  some  of  my  hidden 
traps  while  thus  serving  them  with  a  Wolf's  contempt,  and 
heedlessly  going  too  near  while  doing  so.  On  other  occasions, 
stones  raked  into  the  trap  by  this  scratching  have  sprung  them, 
and  thus  they  have  been  fully  revealed. 

I  am  satisfied  that  scorn— that  is,  hate  with  superiority- 
is  among  the  feelings  thus  expressed,  for  I  once  saw  the  victor 
in  a  fight  between  two  female  Coyotes  urinate  gleefully  again 
and  again  on  her  fallen  foe  as  she  crouched  in  a  corner  of  the 
cage. 


A  scent-gland  that  has  long  been  overlooked  is  on  the  base  expres- 
of  the  tail  above;   its  exact  place  is  marked  by  a  dark  spot  on  anger" 
most  of  the  dogs.     In  the  Gray-wolf  this  spot  is  black,  the 
hairs  composing  the  spot  are  brisriy,  and  there  is  no  under- 
fur  at  the  place. 

When  a  dog  or  Wolf,  ready  to  do  battle,  approaches 
a  stranger,  the  tail  is  raised  at  base  and  drooped  beyond, 
so  that  this  gland  is  at  the  highest  point  and  the  hairs  on 
It  are  raised.  This  doubtless  allows  the  escape  of  more  of 
this  scent. 

In  play,  in  battle,  or  in  abject  fear,  there  is  no  suggestion 
of  this  pose  of  tail.     (See  Plate  LXV.) 


V 

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as 


SOME 
RE- 
MARK- 
ABLE 
WOLVES 


n 


774         Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 

Just  as  there  are  geniuses  and  heroes  ^^^^^^^^l 
there  are  wonderful  individuals  among  Wolves.    These  have 
always  nterested  me,  and  I  have  endeavoured  to  make  records 
of  the  r  lives.    One  of  the  first  of  them  that  I  met  was  the 
Winnipeg  Wolf.     In  March,  1882,  while  commg  to  Wmn.peg 
from  St   Paul,  I  saw  a  sight  that  stirred  my  blood.    As  the 
train  flashed  through  an  opening  of  the  poplar  wood«  sj^th  f 
St.  Boniface,  there  stood  a  big  Gray-wolf,  erect  and  defiant 
surrounded  by  a  motley  pack  of  town  dogs   big  and  small. 
Hlwas  holding  all  at  bay.    A  small  dog  was  lymg  m  the  snow 
near  him,  and  a  big  dog  was  bounding  about  ^omg  some  sp  en- 
did  barking,  but  keeping  his  safe  distance.    The  tram  passed 

and  I  saw  no  more.  r,i,„  t>„,i 

A  dog-driver  was  killed  next  winter  on  the  ice  of  the  Ked 
River  while  bound  for  Fort  Alexander.    The  team  were  big 
fierce  Huskies,  and  he  was  a  strange  driver.     It  was  thought 
that  he  had  struck  at  one  of  them  with  the  whip,  it  had  snapped 
back,  and  he,  in  retreating   had  fallen   whereupon  the  four 
savage  creatures  had  set  oa  him  and  ended  by  devouring  h.m 
The  counter  theory  was  that  he  had  been  killed  by  a  Wo    o 
Wolves,  of  which  the  dogs  are  notoriously  afraid.     1  he  latter 
explanation  found  favour  only  with  the  dogs  owner  for  the  rea- 
son, people  said,  that  he  did  not  wish  to  lose  his  valuable  team 
A  large  Wolf  was  seen  several  times  afterwards  about  the 
city  and  at  length  was  killed  near  the  slaughter-house  some 
said,  by  poison,  dogs,  guns,  or  all  three.    This  was  a  male  and 
weighed  104  pounds.     It  was  mounted  by  W.  R.  Hme   the 
taxidermist,  and  shown  at  the  Chicago  Exposition  of  1893. 
This  interesting  relic  was  one  of  the  valuable  specimens  lost 
in  the   Mulvey  Grammar  School  when  the  building  was 

destroyed  by  fire  in  1896.  ... 

I  have,  of  course,  no  e-idence  that  in  each  case  it  was 
throughout  the  same  Wolt,  but  in  writing  the  story  of  Ihe 
Winnipeg  Wolf"  I  took  a  writer's  liberty  in  making  them  so. 
The  other  adventures  ascribed  to  him  really  belonged  to  other 

Wolves  in  distant  regions.  .      .    .,     r     j         t  <.«. 

In  the  story  of  "  Lobo,"  I  assumed  a  similar  freedom.  1  as- 


! 


PLATE   I.XVI.— BLANCO  IN  THE  TRAP, 
from  photocraph  by  E.  T.  Setoo. 


PtATE  IXVn. — lOBO  IN  THE  TKAP. 

Cumimpaw,  Nrw  M«xico,  January  31,  iSgj. 

From  a  photnfraph  by  E.  T.  Seton. 


PLATE   I.XVI.— BLANCO  IN  THE  TRAP, 
from  photocraph  by  E.  T.  Setaa. 


^1 


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1 1  IK     'i!!i 

11  . 


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If  f' 


Gray-wolf 


776 


cribed  to  one  Wolf  the  adventures  of  several,  and  I  selected  for 
him  the  most  heroic  exterior  I  could  find  in  fact.  But  the  final 
chapter  recording  his  capture  and  death  is  given  exactly  as  it 
happened,  and  was  indeed  the  inspiring  motive  of  the  story. 
The  following  Wolves  also  became  known  by  name  in 
various  parts  of  the  Province  of  Manitoba: 

At  Carberry,  in  1897-8,  a  huge  black  Wolf  appeared. 
He  killed  many  sheep  and  calves  and  spread  terror  among  the 
parents  that  had  children  going  to  school,  but  he  never  even 
threatened  a  human  being.  He  was  known  as  the  Black 
BuflFalo-runner.     He  was  killed  by  Alexander  Langmuir. 

Another,  the  Virden  Wolf,  was  killed  at  that  place  after  a 
short  but  exciting  career,  by  F.  S.  Baird,  February  20,  1898. 
The  photograph  of  this  shows  it  to  have  been  an  ordinary 
Gray-wolf  of  medium  size. 

While  at  Pine  Ridge,  S.  Dak.,  in  August,  1902,  I  was 
told  by  Dr.  James  R.  Walker  and  many  others,  that  during 
the  past  three  years  the  country  between  here  and  the  Bad- 
lands (15  miles)  had  been  frequented  by  an  enormous  white 
Wolf.  The  Wolves,  in  this  region,  were  increasing  and  becom- 
ing so  troublesome  that  a  twenty-five  dollar  bounty  was  paid  for 
each  scalp,  but  double  was  offered  for  that  of  the  white  Wolf. 
It  was  a  female,  as  it  was  once  seen  with  seven  cubs.  One  of 
them  was  caught  and  staked  out  for  a  decoy,  but  the  mother 
came  by  night,  eluded  the  watchers,  pulled  up  the  stake,  and 
bore  off  her  offspring  in  triumph.     She  is  flourishing  yet. 

It  is  often  said  that  Wolves  are  cowards,  but  this  sweeping  cour- 
statement  seems  not  well-founded.     They  never  voluntarily  wol>S^ 
attack  mankind,  for  the  fear  of  man  has  been  widely  spread 
among  them;  yet  a  Wolf  will  attack  and  kill  almost  any  dog. 
A  Wolf  has  often  been  known  to  face  a  whole  pack  of  dogs  and 
carry  off  one  of  them  in  spite  of  the  others  about. 

Richardson  says:"  " During  our  residence  at  Cumberland 
House,  in  1820,  a  Wolf,  which  had  been  orowling,  and  was 
wounded   by  a  musket  ball  and  driven  ou,  returned  after 

"F.B.  A.,  1829, 1,  p.  64. 


f     ^1 
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cmvAL- 

RY 


776         Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 

it  became  dark,  whilst  the  blood  was  still  flowing  fi  .m  its 
wound,  and  carried  off  a  dog,  from  amongst  fifty  others,  that 
howled  piteously,  but  had  not  courage  to  unite  m  an  attack  on 

their  enemy."  .  .        r  j  — 

A  full-grown  Wolf  will  indeed  fight  any  number  of  dogs 
in  self-defence,  and  will  die  without  a  thought  of  surrender. 
This  is  not  cowardice.  . 

Nevertheless,  individuals  vary  so  much,  m  this  higniy 
specialized  animal,  that  we  may  expect  to  find  some  that  are 
downright  cowards,  as  well  as  others  of  heroic  bravery.  1  he 
one  described  by  Richardson  may  have  been  a  noted  desperado 

of  his  tribe.  ,  ,  .    , 

Exceptions  to  the  rule  may  be  accounted  for  precisely  as 
in  man;  bodily  well-being  is  an  essential  of  physical  courage. 
Richardson  says"  of  the  Barren-ground  Wolves: 

"When  reduced  by  famine  they  are  very  abject  and  unre- 
sisting. Mr.  Bell  once,  while  residing  on  Mackenzie's  River, 
caught  a  full-grown,  but  famished  Wolf  in  a  marten-trap  tied 
to  a  small  log  which  it  had  not  the  strength  to  carry  away. 
He  went  to  the  Fort  for  a  line  to  lead  it  home,  and  the  children 
who  accompanied  him  back  assisted  in  bringing  it  in  by  pushing 
it  on  from  behind.  It  made  no  resistance  and  suffered  itselt 
to  be  tied  quietly  to  the  stockades  of  the  Fort.  The  experiment 
of  taming  it  was  not,  however,  made,  and  after  the  curiosity 
of  the  people  was  satisfied  it  was  killed." 

Chivalry  in  its  simplest  aspect  may  be  defined  as  considera- 
tion by  a  male  for  a  female,  on  account  of  her  sex,  when  the 
sexual  passion  is  dormant.  In  this  light  it  is  fair  to  say  that 
there  is  much  chivalry  among  Wolves.  Richardson  records 
many  instances  of  such  kindly  consideration;  indeed,  I  have 
heard  the  question  raised  as  to  whether  male  dogs  or  Wolves 
will  at  any  time  attack  female  dogs  or  Wolves,  and  vice  versa. 
I  have  no  personal  evidence  to  give  that  they  will  attack,  but 
I  have  some  evidence  to  show  that  they  will  refram  from  attack- 
ing.   A  case  has  already  been  noticed  in  the  chapter  on  pairing. 

"  Arc.  Search  Expcd.  (of  1848),  1851,  Vol.  II,  p.  87. 


I',  ! 


I 


I 


1-    it  •'  \ 

i ;  I: 
1.'^.;  «' 

.1  li-' 


778         Life-hi8tories  of  Northern  Animals 

SPEED  The  speed  of  the  Wolf  is  often  exaggerated.     My  im. 

''"^      pression  is'that  zi  or  ^^  miles  an  hour  would  represent    l^e 
htghest  rate  of  an  average  individual  for  \»' ^'J'.J'^^'' 
mSch  less  than  the  speed  of  the  Coyote,  J-k-«bb^^^^^^^^^ 
Antelope,  greyhound,  or  even  foxhound;    but  the  Wolt  can 

keep  it  up  l^n"^"  '^^  ""^^^  *"^'"^*^-    ^  '=°'"P^'*"'^  '"^^^  " 
given  on  page  233. 

The  track  of  a  Wolf  cannot  be  distinguished  with  cer- 
tainty from  that  of  a  large  dog.     (See  Fig.  199) 

^™         Althoueh  we  must  be  cautious  about  receiving  accounts 
of  thf  Gray  wllfs  ferocity,  we  are  sure  to  be  surprised  by 
?acts  about  its  strength.     I  have  known  a  young  Gray-wolf 
scarceWsix  months  old.  drag  off  a  100-pound  bar  of  iror^  to 
wWch  it  was  chained,  taking  it  200  or  300  yards  without  ^op- 
rin7and  a  quarter  of  a  mile  before  discovered.    This  same 
Kould  almost  hold  its  own  against  an  ordinary -an  pullmg 
at  its  chain     I  have  several  times  seen  a  Gray-wolf  in  a  trap 
;Voff  with  a  drag  that  weighed  considerably  o-r  i-  po-^^^ 
Ld  on  one  occasion  I   saw  an  80-pound  female  that  was 
Jraooed  drag  a  52-pound  beef-head  over  rough  ground  faster 
ISi  I  couS  follow  on  foot,  and  keep  up  the  flight  for  one  and 

'  '1  ;:ive\nown  a  Gray-wolf  go  off  carrying  the  head  of  an 

o^  in  his  iaws  and  take  it  so  far  that  I  gave  up  following  his 

ra^An  r:u;t'    I  did  not  weigh  the  o-head  ^ut  foun    th^ 

a  small  cow-head  weighed  over  50  pounds,  so  that  it  must  have 

been  at  least  75  pounds.  .    .     , .    .  t*  :« 

The  Wolfs  great  strength,  indeed,  is  in  his  jaws.  It  is 
doubtful  whether  any  dog.  of  truly  domesticated  race,  has  suA 
powerful  jaws  as  the  Wolf.  It  is  generally  believed  by  the 
Tunters  that  for  this  reason  no  dog  has  yet  been  found  which, 
single-handed,  could  conquer  a  full-grown  Gray-wolf 

The  rope  used  for  lassoes  on  the  Plains  is  half-inch 
manma  and'yet  has  often  been  cut  through  by  a  single  clip 
of  the  Wolf's  jaws  when  he  has  been  lassoed. 


PLATE  LXVIII.— THE  GREYHOUNP  THAT  FOLLOWED  TOO  FAX. 
Wo«  study  by  E.  T.  Seton. 


h\- 


\r^f^ 


it"  • 


{ m  ^^  ^' 


"1^ 


Gray-wolf 


779 


The  Hon.  Theodore  Roosevelt  gives  thus  an  instance" 
of  a  Gray-wolf  killing  a  horse.  "With  a  few  savage  snaps 
the  Wolf  hamstrung  and  partially  disembowelled  it."  Many 
similar  cases  could  be  cited. 

The  strength  of  its  jaws  is,  doubtless,  a  cardinal  factor  in 
the  Wolfs  life-problems,  not  only  putting  it  beyond  danger 
from  other  carnivora,  but  also  leaving  all  herbivora  at  its 
mercy. 

Doubtless  its  hold  on  environment  is  largely  due  also  to 
endurance.  A  Wolf  can  live  on  one  full  meal  a  week;  that  is, 
a  dozen  meals  at  equal  intervals  would  carry  it  through  the 
winter. 

The  Wolf  that  Archbishop  Tachc  tells  of"  roamed  for  a 
month  in  deep  winter,  at  Isle  a  la  Crosse,  with  a  heavy  trap 
and  clog  on  his  hind-foot.  It  is  hard  to  see  how  he  could  have 
got  a  meal  in  all  that  time,  and,  though  emaciated,  he  was  very 
lively  indeed  when  found. 

The  species  is  credited  by  most  hunters  with  cunning 
enough  to  hunt  by  combined  drive  and  ambush,  exactly  as 
described  in  the  chapter  on  the  Coyote,  but  this  I  ha  /c  not 
personally  witnessed. 


The  Wolf  of  Ontario  is  known  to  be  a  good  swimmer,  swim- 
W.  Lewis  Fraser  once  described  to  me  the  antics  of  a  family 
of  Gray-wolves  that  he  saw  playing  in  the  water  like  a  lot  of 
water  spaniels.    This  was  in  Muskoka,  during  the  month  of 
September,  and  they  therefore  were  probably  a  family. 


SOCIAL 
AMUSE- 


The  dogs,  and  especially  train-dogs,  howl  much  on  moon 
light  nights  in  winter,  and  in  a  less  degree  at  other  seasons.  ^^ 
They  do  not  sit  arour^  *  «.  a  circle  as  has  been  stated,  nor  have 
any  accompanying  cercinonies  been  seen.  They  howl  usually 
when  some  loud  noise  or  one  of  themselves  begins  it.  These 
remarks  apply  in  a  measure  to  Wolves.  Unless  this  nightly 
chorus  belongs  to  the  class,  I  do  not  know  of  any  social  amuse- 
ments among  th??e  animals.     A  hint,  however,  is  supplied  by 

"  Wilderness  Hunter,  1897,  p.  394.  '•  See  Note  i. 


SANITA- 
TION 


HVBUn- 
ITY 


AS 

TRAIN- 
DOCS 


780         Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 

a  «;aTon  name  still  used  in  fee-sdale,  England.  A  ccrt;.in  place 
the  e°s  caTed  "wolf  LAe."  hough  there  is  "ot  and  never 
has  bien  any  water  near,  but  my  friend.  James  Backhouse 
informs  me  that  it  was  origin.lly  "Wolf  le  ."  that,  the  P^a- 
where  the  Wolves  were  supposed  to  play.  (Anglo-baxon, 
laeken,  to  lark  or  play.) 

In  sanitation  Wolves  h.vc  il.-  habits  ..f  ordinary  dogs. 
They  do  not  bury  their  dung    >  i'  rl.ey  Keep  rhcu  dens  clear  of  U. 

The  Eskimo  or  Husky  <Hi  .-n.iersiood  to  be  simply  a 
domesticated  Wolf,  mixe-i  > -un  ,  -^rain  ot  so.ne  other  doj; 
strk  The  readiness  of  the  Wolf  ar  d  tl,e  Hu.ky  dog  to  cross 
noted  by  all  writers  on  the  subject.  Henr.  .n  h.s  famou 
"  jTurnal  on  Red  River.-  refers  to  this  .s  a  -^"  -  thmg  and 
ies  a  verv  graphic  account  of  the  way  m  vh.ch  the  female 
does  were  unwittingly  made  to  play  Dc  .h  anc  betrav  the 
twoTves  into  the  merciless  hands  of  th.r  human  .k  . .es^ 
A  similar  account  is  given  by  Richardson  tor   he  temak 

^"'TwX"  UPP^^^^^^^^^^  the  o.sp.ing  of  .  Wolf 
and  jHusky'hvelibou't'Kildonan,  Man  .  -^  te"--;;^; 
district  for  about  a  year  in  the  early  80  s.  )nc  wa>  gray, 
on" Ted  or  liver  colour.  No  one  owned  them;  ,hey  In  a  w.  d^ 
George  Eraser,  of  Winnipeg,  my  mforn^mt,  fired  at  them 
several  times  with  a  shot-gun.  without  v.s-Me  effect  One  day 
he  got  a  rU3e  chance  at  the  red  one  with  ^No  ;.hot  the  beast 
got  away,  but  never  was  seen  again;  probably  it  died. 

W  F  White,  the  taxidermist,  of  Winnipeg,  1.  ormed  me, 
not  long  ago.  that  he  had  no  difficulty  in  selling  .ving  male 
Wolves,  as  they  could  be  utilized  to  cross  w.th  an.   .mprove  the 

"''"'Hen^  also  speaks  of  saving  young  Wolf  cul     to  b.  used 
for  the  trains." 


-Journal,  A.  Henry,  1799-18' ^.  P"^^   *^7.  i     '66. 
"  Franklin's  First  Journey,  i«23.  P  9° 


Hi. 


,r>  »7S- 


s-^^o. 


Gruy-woH 


T81 


C 'uain  I^iil  Craiiic,  v.f  Pei  skey,  Mich.,  tells  mc  thar  he 
spent       vears  a'nong   the   tiain-dogs  ir    Alaska  a'   \  Yukon; 


ownii 
lad 


and  i  und!  nj»  in  that  rime  200  do^s.     Amoi.^  these  he 


till-blo.«ir      W( 

half  breeds  ol     ouist 
or  less  of  Well  '  !i>od. 

The  latter,  he  savs. 
>fon!»  Piiougli  b..r  .iv,ay 
a^  thuui^h     ivcd.        '  shi 

Tlie       Iv  tar   ,  .  ie  dir 
wild     .  >if    -  m  the  f    !. 
lurled  U[  ;      Husk^      .g'. 


list    used  as  'rain  animai       Nfai  v 
amonj  the  doi;s,  and  ail  arc  i,;ore 

i  r  ir  so  good        1  train   lop      It  is 
m*    f*  or  less  shy,  wa.ching  it      river 


IVrhais  it  i^ 


Un 


result     f  r»ic 
i  into  aii  ij.c 


u^  fro 
•n<     be  o 

HI  s  ta' 

es 


^tron 
ffort 

lil 


touch  of  the  hand 
een  a  Husky  dog  and  a 
s  rarely  abo\e  leve'  ■ 
ssivelv  curled.     W\ 
Ir     luling,  unusu  i 
th;         the  tail  is  nf>r 
>es  thi        I  to  curl  up. 
,  jusi  as  a  m      s  teeth  clinch 
s.     1  doubt  n   t,  if  the  //<  ^or 
e  strongest,  instead  of  the  leva  or s,     le 
"  permanently  curled  between  his  leg*^. 
f  this  is  found  in  a  fact  that  I  have 
ain  of  half-bred  Wolves  may  set  o' 
vvn,  but  the  moment  they  come  to 
St  strain  at  the  traces,  their  tails  H 


there 
nusi 
le  hi 


energy  is 
S)  ^cial'.     !ire^ 
ob    lien    ■  1  th 
Uf      '■  violf 
mt  Lies  0      .It 
traiii-dr'S»'>    ail  woi 
Cor    Jborauon 

ine^   'bserved.      A 
larne       vith  tails 
pice,       xvv  tb 
int  .  curl. 

The  Hi 
Wolf'^  pars 

ain      n|f  at  th.  age  of  nme  or  ten  is  apt  to  droop  his  cars. 


•g's  e.    3  are  frequently  drooped.     A  w 
ect.  bi   ,  according  to  Captain  Crainc,  the 


N, 


'>■■  anii.,dl 
nj;  e  mc 
t  1  irt  Ft 
1  .i^reai  h; 

thun,  and 


V  observers  attest  the  tamableness  and  doggincss  of  dogoi 


Ross  says:"  "A  full-gro-An  Wolf  became,  dur- 
^hs  ul  July  and  August,  185^,  quite  domesticated 
ution  Though  rather  shy  of  the  people,  it  lived 
ij  vith  the  dogs,  playing  and  sleeping  with 
.  ng  their  food.  Around  the  smoke  made  to 
keep  off  the  myriads  of  noxious  flics  from  the  cattle,  it  reposed 
with  the  other  animals,  and,  although  there  was  a  small  calf 

"  Fur-bearing  Anim.  Mack.  R.,  Can.  Nat.,  JanuaiY,  1861,  p.  11. 


NESS 


wm 


m 


■  c'l'V 


LATENT 
FEROC- 
ITY 


782  Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 

in  the  band,  it  never  attempted  mischief.    It  was  shot  at  by 
an  Indian  and  never  seen  after." 

The  Rev.  J.  A.  McLaughlin,"  of  Berens  River,  Lake 
Winnipeg,  wrote  me,  March  9,  1893: 

"  Wolves  are  quite  numerous  here  this  winter,  but  do  not 
seem  to  band  together,  to  any  extent,  and  are  not,  so  far  as  I 
know,  dangerous.  Last  week  one  of  the  Indians  on  going  to 
his  cache,  where  he  had  been  doing  his  fall  fishing,  found  a 
splendid  black  Wolf  in  a  trap.  He  tied  his  mouth  with  a  line, 
took  him  out  of  the  trap,  hitched  him  up  to  his  dog  train,  and 
made  him  help  haul  in  the  load  of  fish.  The  Hudson's  Bay 
Company  officer  here  had  him  chained  up  at  the  Fort,  and 
intends  trying  to  make  a  cross  with  one  of  his  dogs.  I  have 
seen  a  number  of  Wolves,  but  none  like  this  specimen.  The 
fur  is  exactly  like  a  Silver-fox  in  colour,  thick  and  beautiful. 
The  ears  are  much  more  rounded  than  usual,  giving  the  head 
more  of  the  appearance  of  a  Bear  than  a  Wolf.  I  have  handled 
it,  but  there  is  never  any  sign  of  crossness,  and  no  attempt  at 

biting." 

D.  T.  Hanbury  on  his  journey  from  Selkirk  to  Norway 
House,  February  26,  1899,  says:"  "At  this  place  [Derens 
River],  I  had  the  novel  experience  of  riding  in  a  sleigh  drawn 
by  a  team  which  included  a  Wolf.  This  animal  was  muzzled 
and,  though  rather  savage,  worked  well.  I  was  told  that  a  pure 
Wolf  does  not  retain  its  stamina  in  captivity,  but  a  half  or 
quarter  cross  makes  a  most  useful  animal." 

It  is  hard  to  understand  why  the  train-dogs  should  so  fear 
the  Wolves,  if  they  are  such  near  kin.  Probably  the  wild  ones 
are  larger  and  the  train-dogs  more  or  less  cowed  by  their  life. 

The  savage  nature  of  the  Wolf,  however,  is  apt  to  break 
out  at  times  in  the  train-dog,  as  already  noted  in  my  account 
of  the  Winnipeg  Wolf  on  an  earlier  page.  Another  tragic 
incident  of  the  kind  took  place  recently  on  the  Saskatchewan. 

"Mr.  McLcughlin  was  drowned  in  Lake  Winnipeg,  September  la,  1903,  while 
faithfully  doing  his  work. 

"  Northland,  Canada,  1904,  p.  6. 


■M 


Gray-wolf  783 

It  was  reported  to  me  by  Dr.  D.  A.  Stewart,  of  Winnipeg.  A 
half-breed  dog-driver  was  taking  his  team  and  his  little  boy  to 
a  distant  post.  He  left  the  boy  in  charge  of  the  team  while 
he  went  after  a  Deer.  On  his  return  he  found  the  dogs  curled 
up  asleep  and  nothing  lef*  of  his  son,  except  fragments  of  his 
clothes.  The  half-b--ed  was  a  devout  Catholic;  he  drove  the 
dogs  to  the  Trading  Post,  shot  the  four  brutes,  and  gave  them 
Christian  burial. 

The  diseases  that  have  been  observed  to  torment  the  dis- 
Gray-wolf  are  mange,  scab,  and  rabies.     I  have  several  times  ^^ 
heard  of  mange  removing  all  of  a  Wolf's  hair  except  a  ridfe 
along  the  spine,  and  in  consequence  have  arisen  manv  rumours 
of  strange  beasts  in  the  land. 

Warburton  Pike  says:»  "There  was  some  sort  of  disease 
resembling  mange  among  them  [Gray-wolves]  in  the  winter  of 
1889-90  which  ^ad  the  effect  of  taking  off  all  their  hair,  and 
judging  from  the  number  of  dead  that  were  lying  about  must 
have  considerably  thinned  their  numbers." 

Henry  in  his  Journal  makes  frequent  mention  of  scab. 
1  hus:" 

"March  3.  A  large  Wolf  came  into  my  tent  three  times, 
and  always  escaped  a  shot.  Next  day  while  hunting  I  found 
him  dead  about  a  mile  from  the  Fort;  he  was  very  lean  and 
covered  with  scabs." 

Rabies  or  hydrophobia  seems  to  break  out  among  them 
at  times.  Although  Wolves  do  not  ordinarily  attack  man  in 
America  there  are  one  or  iwo  recent  cases  on  record,  from  the 

^'"''?  w"'/;"^  ^'^''''  ^""^  '^''^  ''  ^'«°  «=^'de"ce  that  in  each 
case  the  Wolf  was  rabid. 

Even  as  early  as  1800  it  appears  to  have  been  considered 
evidence  of  madness  for  a  Wolf  to  attack  a  man,  as  Henry 
thus  makes  record  at  Park  River:*" 

November  i.  «  Last  night  the  Wolves  were  very  trouble- 
some;   they  kept  up  a  terrible  howling  about  the  Fort,  and 

*  Barren  Grounds,  N.  Canada,  189a,  p.  53 
Journal,  A.  Henry,  -779-,8i4,  pub.  1897,  P-  194-  -  Ibid.,  p.  133. 


!■■ 


■'  I,  ■ 


WOLF- 
KJLUNC 


784         Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 

even  attempted  to  enter  Maymiutch's  tent.  A  large  white 
one  came  boldly  into  the  door  and  was  advancing  towards  a 
voung  child  when  he  was  shot  dead.  Some  of  them  are  very 
audacious.  I  have  known  them  to  follow  people  for  several 
days,  attempt  to  seize  a  person  or  dog,  and  to  be  kept  off 
only  by  fire-arms.  It  does  not  appear  that  hunger  makes  them 
so  ferocious,  as  they  have  been  known  »«  P^«%^,f  5f  f  f.  °^ 
animals,  which  they  might  have  eaten  to  the.r  filK  but  they 
would  not  touch  fiesh;  their  object  seemmg  to  be  tha  ot 
biting.  The  Canadians  swear  that  these  are  mad  Wolves 
and  are  much  afraid  of  them." 

And  again:"  ,       .       , 

"April  i8,  1810  [on  North  Saskatchewan].  Another 
mare  was  bitten  in  the  nose  by  a  mad  Wolf  and  d^d  the  day 
after,  foaming  at  the  mouth  and  running  around  distracted. 

Wolves  are  so  rarely  seen  that  shooting  is  not  to  be  relied 
on  as  a  means  of  keep^ig  them  down. 

Hunting  with  dogs  has  been  carried  on  with  fair  success, 
but  it  requires  a  composite  pack  of  running,  tracking,  and 
fighting  dogs,  as  well  as  the  best  of  horses,  so  that  it  is  somewhat 

expensive.  ,  117  i  «    :„ 

In  the  early  days  the  Indians  captured  many  Wolves  in 
pitfalls.  The  following,  from  Henry's  Journal,  bears  on  this: 

"We  had  now  [south  of  Turtle  Mountain]  a  well-beaten 
path,  but  were  several  times  in  danger  of  breaking  our  necks 
in  deep  pits  which  the  natives  had  dug  in  the  path  to  catch 
Wolves  and  Foxes  in  winter.    Some  of  thi-m  are  10  feet  deep, 
hollowed  out  to  a  space  about  30  feet  in  circumference,  whilst 
the  entrance  is  no  wider  than  the  foot-path  and  about  5  teet 
in  length.     These  holes  are  covered  with  dry  grass  at  the 
season  when  Wolves  are  good,  and  every  morning  are  found  to 
contain  some  of  these  animals.    In  summer  the  grass  grows 
strong  and  high  about  the  mouths,  entirely  concealing  them, 
until  one  arrives  upon  the  very  brink,  and  is  in  danger  of 
tumbling  in  headlong." 

-/Mi.,  p.  594.  -/W..P.3". 


Gray-wolf 


Ta-^ 


since  the  Wolves  have  learned  the  smell  and  dangers  of  strvch-  '"^^ 

the  Wo  ves  use  as  a  'calling  station,'  fill  it  with  a  mixture  of 
strychnme  and  tallow,  and  then  over  the  outside  spread  a  coat 

ttis'tiU  ;h         "  '."""••    '^'^  ^°'^"  "•"  •'^'^  -d  gnaw" 
Jlv  hV      ^°"°"  *"''  *""'  *°  ^°^'^'  ^^  ''^^^^  '"  former  times 
they  did  so;  now  it  seems  to  be  losing  its  charm  for  them 

Hr.  .  TA  T  T  ''^'''.  ?^^  '°'""  «"^^««  •"  poisoning  with  a 
drag.    To  do  th^  I  would  take  a  lump  of  meat,  or  a  bunch  of 

the  ;:  'a'"^  ^""^^  ^'^'""^  "^y  ^°"<^  ^°^  ^«^n  "^iles  around 
the  camp.  At  mtervals  of  a  quarter  of  a  mile  I  dropped  a 
carefully  prepared  poisoned  bait,  two  grains  of  strychnine  in 

square.     These  baits  are  earned  in  a  rawhide  bag.  are  lifted 

vvuh  ron  or  the  human  hand.     It  is  well  to  mark  in  some  way 

the  place  of  each  bait  for  future  reference  ^ 

The  Wolves  will  follow  the  drag  out  of  curiosity,  even  if 

leasHn"^'  '".  '  'T'"^  '"^  '^'  ^"'^^  ^^^'  *hey  will  take  it,  or  a 
least  in  olden  days  they  used  to  take  it.  Then,  again  the  drae 
does  gcx>d  service,  the  poison  is  not  likely  to  aft  befo  e  hf 
Wolf  travels  a  quarter  of  a  mile,  and  he  may  go  a  mile  but  he 
follows  the  drag  still,  and  is  picked  up  htJJ  the  ™  inctead 
g°L"8  off  to  die  in  some  hollow  where  he  cannot  be  found 
Of  late   however,  the  Wolves  seem  to  have  got  a  com- 

urittonthA^.      V"  ^°"°^  '^'  *^^8.  they  commonly 
urmate  on  the  ba.ts  and  pass  on.   It  still  answers  for  the  Coyote 

^    ''  traps  arc  more  successful  because  they  call  for  less  trap- 
so  "ftn'^Vj^'^^^^'^-    One  way  to  employ  these -'^ 

he  line  V  M°"^u  ^^^  P°''°°  ^^"-  Then  at  some  spot  on 
the  hne.  preferably  where  two  or  more  trails  meet,  bury  a  lump 
of  meat  and  around  that,  three  or  four  feet  away,  severaltraps 


?8() 


Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 


}  t 


ii 


f 


carefully  rubbed  with  blood  or  cow-dung  or  smoked,  and 
never  toi  ched  '.  ith  the  bare  hands.  Each  trap  is  fast  to  a 
separate  drag;  that  is,  a  log  or  rock  weighing  forty  or  fifty 
pound  ,  Drag  and  all  must  be  carefully  concealed.  The 
trap  is  sunk  in  the  ground  till  the  pan  is  exactly  on  a  level  with 
the  surface,  then  the  space  under  the  pan  is  filled  with  dry 
grass,  Coyote  fur,  or,  bes  of  all,  cotton-wool.  Dry  dust  is 
now  sprinkled  on  everything,  the  trap  logs  and  bait  are  com- 
pletely concealed,  a  few  weeds  thrown  about,  and,  last  of  all, 
the  foot  of  a  Coyote  or  a  Wolf  is  used  to  make  a  few  reassuring 
tracks  at  the  place.  The  foot  of  a  female  dog  at  the  mating 
season  lends  an  especially  helpful  touch.  This  plan  seems  to 
play  on  the  Wolf's  habit  of  burying  surplus  food.  If  the  bait 
were  in  plain  view  he  might  find  some  suspicious  taint,  enough 
to  make  him  keep  his  distance,  but  when  it  has  to  be  dug  out 
before  examination,  he  has  time  to  pass  all  around  and  to  get 
into  one  or  more  of  the  traps. 

Sometimes  the  traps  are  set  on  the  trails  used  by  the 
Wolves  in  crossing  canons  or  going  to  water.  The  disad- 
vantage of  this  is  that  a  great  many  cattle  get  into  them  and 
it  is  an  awkward  job  getting  the  trap  oflF  the  foot  of  a  range 
steer.  He  is  not  so  grateful  as  he  should  be.  If,  however,  the 
traps  be  not  too  large,  they  slip  off  the  hard  hoofs  of  the  cattle 
when  they  happen  to  tread  in  them. 

An  excellent  plan  is  to  put  a  bait  up  three  or  four  feet 
from  the  ground  in  a  rough  place;  then  set  traps  in  the  open 
places  that  a  Wolf  would  naturally  walk  in  as  he  circled  about 
suspiciously  to  inspect  the  bait. 

Yet  another  plan  is  to  put  the  trap  under  water.  A  thin  piece 
of  stone  is  laid  on  the  pan,  and  the  trap  sunk  so  that  only  this 
stone  is  above  water.  This  is  set  eighteen  inches  from  the  dry 
bank,  then  a  foot  beyond  the  trap  a  bait  is  put  on  another  stone. 

The  Wolf  reaching  out  to  sniff  the  bait,  naturally  sets  a 
foot  on  the  dry  stone  between  him  and  the  meat,  and  is  caught. 
The  water  in  this  method  assists  greatly  in  disguising  the  smell 
of  the  iron.  This  plan  answers  also  for  most  other  carnivorous 
animals. 


'^^ 


riATi:  iMx— moon  o\  tiik  tkail. 
W  ..If  !!.j.J,  i.v  E.  T.  St-tun. 


11: 

W-§ 

^H  ^ 

i 

'^«E 

mII 

'  •li 

.; 

ii'l'i^E 

li 

Mil 

i* 

Sk^  1 3 

1' 

^K^i)^ 

BMH 


l^l^^JU. 


Gray-wolf  737 

Wolf-hunters  sometimes  throw  a  marrow  bone  in  the  fire 
at  sundown;  this  smoulders  all  night  and  makes  an  attractive 
smell  that  the  Wolves  can  detect  and  are  drawn  by,  though 
miles  away.  * 

When  seized  by  the  trap  a  Wolf  bounds  off  with  all  hi-, 
strength.    If  the  trap  b   '.e!d  solid,  something  is  likely  to  brt 
under  the  violence  of  the  struggle,  but  fastened  to  a  drag  whi 
yields  to  each  jcik,  the  Wolf  is  securely  held.     His  efforts 
merely  tire  him  out  and  he  is  usually  found  in  the  nearest 
cover  or  hollow  within  a  few  hundred  yards  of  the  bait 

As  to  the  humanity  of  setting  out  such  devices  for  catching 
wild  animals  there  is  little  to  be  said.     Nevertheless,  it  is  not 
so  much  injury  of  the  steel  as  the  days  of  struggling  and  starva- 
tion  that  have  caused  the  chief  suffering,  andlhis  every  trap^r 
aims  to  avoid  by  gp.ng  at  very  short  intervals  to  the  traps. 
As  a  rule  the  less  the  animal  has  suffered  the  better  the  pelt 
The  ranchman  puts  the  matter  briefly:    We  do  not  trap  and 
poison  for  fun,  but  because  the  Wolves  would  soon  ruin  every 
man  m  the  cattle  business  if  we  did  not  keep  them  down 
And  we  kill  that  way  because  there  is  no  other  .^y  of  doS 
Stated' fifJiT  "^^^  ^['«'^"' Vernon  Bailey,  of  the  United 

th.  I.  w  ,'  "'  P/^^*''  ^y  ^""*'  experiment  that,  since 
^e  young  Wolves  are  born  in  March,  when  the  snow  is  on  the 
ground,  It  IS  easy  to  track  the  parents  home  and  exterminate 

t^^j:^-^  ^^-^-  ««<^  s-  i^epaLr^'f 

BeavIr''lSL7^  '^'  ^J'^"^°'^ ''  ^P'"  °P^"  ^^^  ^^'  ^^at  of  a  nnt 
Beaver,  while  Coyote  skins  arc  cased  like  Fox  and  Mink     The 

fur  IS  rich,  full,  and  beautiful.     It  makes  a  fine  robe,  but  is  no 

aZuT   ,u'  '  ?«•     ^'  ''  P"'"^  ^^^"^  November  15  to 
April  15  and  brings  from  «i.oo  to  iJzo.oo.  according  to  quality. 

March  To^  r        ^"""1  ^"''  '^^''   ^^^^  ^*   Lampson's, 
March,  1906,  there  were  15,843  Wolfskins  disposed  of     The 


^t 


788         Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 
unusuaHy  fine  blu.  skms   bu    3  K_^  ^^.^^  of  ordinary 

:r:;na%';2i^c^«:/ varied  ^^c;->"i » - '-  - 

shillings  C48  cents)  to  30  shillings  (J?")- 


i':S?^ 


IT- 

fi;   1 


XXXIV. 

Northern  Coyote,  Bi^  Coyote,  Prairie-wolf  or  Brush- 
wolf. 

Cams  latrans  Say. 
(L.  Cams.  .  dog;  L.  iUr«„.  frkfag;  bec.^  u  j.  „,,,  „,  .  j^^„  ^  ^^ 

other  wild  dog.)  ' 

Can»  Won.  Say.  1823.    Long's  Exped.  Rky.  Mts.,  I,  p.  ,68 
Type  Locality.— Council  Bluffs,  Iowa. 

French  Canadian,  U  Coyote. 
Cree,  Mes-cha-cha-gan-is' . 
Saut.,  Mes-cha-chag^-an-is. 
OjiB.,  Mes-ta-cha*'gan-es. 
Yankton  Sioux,  Song-toke-cha. 
OcALLALA  Sioux,  Mee-yah-slay'-cha-lah. 

'Cased  Wolf  is  the  old  trade  name  of  the  Coyote,  be- 
^use  .ts  skin  was  cased  like  that  of  a  Muskrat,  while  the 
Gray-wolf  s  pelt  was  spread  out  flat  like  that  of  a  Beaver 
Nnrt^r  P"""'  <^haracters  are  as  in  the  preceding,  bui  the 
Northern  Coyote  may  be  distinguished  from  the  Gra^wolf  first 

west  bv  1"^?r     '  ""T°"''  r'^^''  ^°y°*"  °^  '^'^  f^r  South- 
west  by  Its  larger  size,  paler  colours,  and  teeth  of  whicS  the 

premolars  and  carnassials  are  "very  large  and  greatly  swollen/' 

Ed   Hollf  "^^  \  '"*!'  ^'"*?  "'  Touchwood  Hills.  Sask..  by  sn. 
Ed.  Holhs.  m  the  wmter  of  1901-2,  measured: 

tS    '"    ^^^ a  feet  9}  inches  (850  mm.) 

Hind-foot'.  'I     "       (330  mm.) 

Ear  7j      "       (198  mm.) 

4iV     "       (no  mm.) 

789  ' 


■ 


'  ^      r 


790         Life-histories  of  Nortliem  Animals 

This  was  not  unusually  large,  but  it  was  the  heaviest  he 

'-\-:n7h^S!^':;:»rtorrG^o';  L.  K^^^^^^^^ 
!;rf.  sr:eX"'s:  ^ft:dn:^ 

standard  scales.     As  the  date  was  early  November,  .t  was 

""'a  WinnipeTtc^men  (female)  collected  in  .he  October 
of  1908  by  E.  W.  barbcy  was: 


COLOUR 


Length  of  snout  to  tail-bone  tip 

Tail 

Hind-foot 

Height  at  ihoulder*  .     .     •      • 
Weight  25  pounds. 


4  feet  I  inch        (i245  """) 

I  foot  2\  inches    (369  mm.) 

8       "        (203  mm.) 

I    "    9       "        (534  mm.) 


Richardson  gives'  3  feet  (915  mm.)  as  the  length  of  the 
head  and  body  o?a  specimen  he  took  on  th«  Saskatchewan^ 
JrNew  Mexico.  amoSg  a  score  of  Coyotes  of  the  ocal  orm 
Gesus)  I  found  many  of  the  above  dimensions,  but  the  heav 
ista  male,  weighed  31  pounds;  the  ordmary  males  were  but 
28  pounds  and  the  females  24  pounds. 

"Muzzle  dull  and  rather  pale  fulvous,  finely  sprinkled 
with  «ay  hairs  (chiefly  above)  and  with  black  hairs  (chiefly 
Tn  rh?eksV    top  of  head  from  front  of  eyes  to  ears  griz- 
zledlray^'Ae^pale    fulvous    zone    of   under-fur   showing 
throuerbut  the  Ly  predominating;  ears  deep,  rich  fulvous, 
parity  sp^^^^^^^    -i'h  black  hairs;   upper  parts  from  ears 
Ttai"    oarsely  mixed  buffy-gray  and  black;  under  parts  and 
nnler  lb  whitish'  long  hairs  of  throat  sparingly  tipped  with 
E4h%Tving  the  brL  collar  a  grizzled  appearance;  fore- 
lees  and  feet  dirty  whitish,  becoming  dull  clay  colour  on  outer 
s  de  of  ieg    hindigs  and  feet  dull  fulvous  on  outer  side,  white 
on  inne    side  and  on  dorsal  surface  of  feet,  the  change  from 
fulvous  trwhite  rather  abrupt;    tail  narrowly  tipped  with 

'  F.  B.  A.,  18J9, 1,  p-  74- 


PI  ATE  LXX.— COYOTE  HEAD. 
Lilc  tudy  n»d.  by  E.  T,  Seton,  in  .I«k«,'.  Hote.  Wyo.,  September  .,  .8^ 


i:H 


'M 


V       ? 


Coyote 


(91 


black;  its  under  side  whitish  basally,  becoming  pale  fulvous  or 
distal  half  and  tipped  and  edged  with  black.'*^     {Mtrriam.') 

The  first  of  fhc  above  colour  descriptions  fits  word  for 
word  and  hair  for  hair  to  the  typical  male  Gray-wolf  describe 
in  the  Wolf  chapter  (pp.  750-1).  The  only  difference  I  find  on 
comparing  many  skins  of  Gray-wolf  and  Coyote  is  in  the  under- 
fur  of  the  back,  which  usually  is  gray-brown  in  the  former, 
and  sienna-brown  in  the  latter.  There  are  many  exceptions, 
however,  so  that  we  n^st  look  to  the  size  of  the  animal,  with 
its  cranial  and  dental  character,  for  reliable  diagnosis. 

Four  races  of  the  large  Coyo^-  are  recognized: 

latrans  Say,  the  typical  form. 

'ehracensis  Merriam,  similar  but  "everywhere  paler; 
backs  of  ears  buff  instead  of  fulvous;  skull  and 
teeth  smaller." 

texensis  Bailey,  like  nebracensts,*'h\xx  darker, brighter- 
coloured,  and  with  lighter  dentition;  smaller, 
brighter,  ..nd  more  fulvous  than  latrans." 

lestes  Merriam,  ver>  '"ilar  to  latrans  in  size  and 
colour,  "cranial  -^  •  *.-s  as  in  lebracensis,  but 
SK .11  and  teeth  a  ';  >  <i:  .     >mcwhat  larger." 

Life-history. 

While  we  speak  broadly  of  the  Coyote  as  thouj/'  ir  were 
one  species,  it  should  be  remembered  »f  it  scientists  r  "-ogni/e 
at  least  a  dozen  kinds  thai  are  closely  xiv.  a  A  yet  have  their 
own  peculiarities  and  habitat.  But  they  a;,rce  in  their  general 
style  and  character;    the  Coyotes  everywhere  arc  sons  of  the 

•Th(  Winnipeg  gpecimen  measured  above  agree*  fairiy  ^t!  in  colour  with  this 
(|p.Hcription,  but  has  the  lips  fulvous,  a  black  spot  on  the  fon--.  .rt  of  each  fore-leg, 
and  a  large  black  spot  on  the  base  of  the  tail  over  the  gland.  1 1  mder-fur  every- 
where is  plumbeous,  t  >     pt  on  the  throat,  where  it  is  pu-e  white. 

•  Revisiwi  of  Coyotes,  Ppoc.  Bio.  Soc.,  Washington,  Vo'.  XI,  pp.  19-31,  March  15, 
1897. 


I 


% 


. 


i 


% 


i 


m 


4hi 

r; »'." 


RANGE 


HOME- 
RANGE 


79«         Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 

desert.  Ishmaelites  living  by  their  wits  Furthe:.  they  are 
alike  in  their  vocal  gifts-our  Ishmaehte  .s  also  a  Troubadour 
The  first  of  the  Coyotes  to  be  discovered  was  of  course  the 
one  that  is  found  farthest  East  It  happens  also  to  be  the 
largest  This  is  latrans, '  the  barker/  so  called  by  Say  because 
iJwas  the  only  known  species  of  wild  Dog  that  habitually 
barked. 

Its  range,  so  far  as  known,  is  set  forth  on  Map  No  43, 
though  I  suspect  it  goes  much  farther  north-westward  than 

the  lines  would  indicate.  ,..«,j 

The  spot  near  the  Alaskan  Boundary  marks  a  new  rc.ord. 
In  1907,  Madison  Grant  secured  a  complete  skin  and  skeleton 
of  a  Coyote  killed  near  Whitehorse  on  Alsek  R.ver  Alaska,  m 
February  of  that  year.  Dr.  J .  A.  Allen  exammed  the  specimen 
and  found  it  closely  related  to  testes.*  r  ,u    „„   u 

In  eeneral  it  prefers  the  untimbcred  portions  of  the  no    h 
temperate  regions,  but  the  Prairie-wolf  is  tar  from  .  -finu.g 
sTf  to  the  open  country.     The  woods  from   Pembma  to 
R,ding  Mountain,  as  well  as  immediately  east  of  Winnipeg 
^  well  supplied  with  the  species.     I  found  it  abundant  a'-nut 
Lake  Winnipegosis  even  on   the  east  side  of  the  water,  e..n 
where  fully  100  miles  in  direct  line  from  open  courl.y.     Ana 
north-westerly  its  range  extends  into  the  forest  500  miles    o 
Great  Slave  Lake.     It  is  never  found,  so  far  as  I  can  learn   in 
the  north-eastern  or  coniferous  region  of  Manitoba,  but  it  is 
more  or  less  plentiful  in  all  the  south-western  half  of  the 
Trovince. 

So  much  for  the  range  of  the  species.  The  range  of  the 
individual  is  less  easy  to  establish.  How  large  is  the  home- 
range  of  a  Coyote,  or  rather,  a  pair  of  Coyotes  ?  F  or  we  shal 
see  that  this  interesting  little  brute  is  highly  moral  as  well  as 
clever  I  should  think,  notwithstanding  the  popular  notion  ot 
rhe  Coyote  as  a  world-wanderer,  that  its  hom.  range  is  much 
less  than  10  miles  across.    After  consulting  many  hunters  and 

.  Bull.  Am.  Mus.  N.  M.,  Vol.  XXIV,  pp.  584-6,  September  11,  1908. 


MAP  43  RANGE  OF  THE  COYOTES. 

Thi-. chart  U  purely  diitraramalic  many  of  ihcfornu  undoublrdlyoTrrUpur  inlrrtratlr.  II  indrawn  up  ihicfly  rri>m  Dr.  C.  Hart  Mcrriiir.'i 
Krjm.in  of  Ihr  (  ..jiilM.  i8g7.  the  lli<>l<i«iral  Surv.  v  map  (D^H.  I  {!.  Sinalc  igo;).  als.>  U.  c;.  Elliot.  Vrraim  Bailry.  E  .\  Prrbk.  H.  A.  ;«ll«i, 
«nil  Inim  mjr  ciwn  niXrj  in  many  parts  lA  Uh'  Wr»;.     Full  invealigaLiiu  mu»l  grrally  thangc  the  boundaries  briwrcn  the  many  (ornia  and  aif  the 

Umnilarirn  m  Mciiio. 


Ttaa  following  an  raco(niied : 

C<n<a  fafraiu  Sar.    Coramoo,  with  4  1  acM, 

Cmittt  fiuatror  Woodhoiiat.    woodland  Coyota, 

CitU  cfHU  (B.  Smith ).    Rad  CoToia, 

C'aiWt  ftnimmlm  MarrUm.    South  California  Givota, 

C«iN<  mknJm  MttTUm     Rio  Oranda  Coyota, 

Canlt  naoraal  MarrUm.    Meirtu'i  Coyota, 


7U3 


C«>i4i  niar  Mcrriam.    Daaart  Oryota, 

Cmth  acAmcwa  Eachahoati.    California  Coyota, 

CaniB  tItiUr  Marriim.    Colima  Coyote, 

Canit  geljmanl  Marrlam, 

Caafi  clraHciu  DUot. 

Cmlt  imfmtJm  Allan. 


ABUN- 
DANCE 


7M         Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 

making  numerous  observations,  I  conclude  that  in  the  sum- 
mer a  township  (6  miles  square)  is  more  than  ample  huntmg- 
2round  for  a  pair  of  Coyotes.  In  winter,  perhaps,  twice  as 
much  is  needed,  in  the  north,  and  beyond  this  they  never  go 
of  their  own  free  will;  outside  this  limit  is  foreign  country 
to  them. 

But  they  do  not  occupy  any  area  to  the  exclusion  of  their 
kind  •  probably  the  ranges  of  at  least  half  a  dozen  pairs  overlap 
on  the  same  hunting-ground,  which  assumes  a  general  popula- 
tion of  10  to  the  township.  These  calculations  would,  if 
correct,  give  us  a  Coyote  population  in  Manitoba  of  12,000. 
Or,  ap'p  iching  the  question  from  another  view,  in  1904  the 
Manitoba,  government  paid  bounties  on  4,541  Praine-wolves 
killed  :n  the  Province.  The  testimony  of  all  observers  is  that 
the  Wolves  are  increasing  in  spite  of  this  destructior^  therefore 
the  annual  increase  is  greater  than  the  annual  kill.  This  would 
presuppose  an  original  population  of  at  least  5,000,  which  we 
may  safely  accept  as  a  minimum  of  Coyotes  in  Manitoba,  and 
of  course  they  are  condensed  in  the  south-western  half  of  the 

country.  ,  „      .         1  t 

That  this  is  a  low  estimate  the  following  shows:  in 
Shields'  Magazine  for  April,  1904,'  Jack  Comegys  describes  a 
recent  Coyote  drive  at  Evans,  Colo.;  about  20  square  miles 
(half  a  township)  were  included,  and  Fome  40  Coyotes  rounded 
up-  that  is,  80  to  the  township,  or  say  2  to  the  square  mile. 
Further  according  to  the  United  States  Biological  Survey,'  the 
State  of  Kansas  (81,700  square  miles),  in  the  year  ending 
July  I  1904,  paid  bounties  on  20,000  Coyote  scalps,  out  their 
numbers  were  not  perceptibly  diminished;  at  least  as  many- 
the  Colorado  evidence  would  say  even  double  as  many- 
were  left,  which  would  make  the  population  above  i  to  2 
square  miles,  or  20  to  the  township. 

If  anything  like  these  rates  of  population  prevail  over  then 
entire  territory,  we  shall  have  a  total  of  fully  1,000,000  of  the 

•  D.  E.^LanU.  Bull.  No.  ao,  Biol.  Surv.  U.  S.  Dep.  Agr.,  1905,  p  9- 


Coyote 


795 


large  Coyotes  on  the  2,000,000  square  miles  over  which  they 
are  found.  ^ 

The  species  is  but  slightly  gregarious.     The  most  I  have  soav 
ever  seen  m  one  day  were  8,  and  the  most  at  one  spot,  were  i    """ 
They  were  gathered  at  a  dead  calf  and  scattered  immediately 
after  their  feasc.     The  most  I  have  heard  of  together  were  12 
also  attracted  by  a  carcass.    W.  R.  Hine  tells  me  that  he  has 
seen  5  together,  never  more;   these  were  at  a  dead  animal- 
3  are  the  most  I  ever  saw  travelling  in  company,  and  the  most' 
he  ever  met  with  in  one  day  was  a  dozen  during  a  6c^mile 
drive  along  Red  River,  in  the  autumn. 

Six  Coyotes  were  seen  by  Lew  Wilmot,'  as  they  were 
chasing  a  Deer,  in  the  spring  of  the  year  at  Oroville,  Wash 
«r  ^''S^'V  Quotes  were  seen  together  in  August  by  Henry  W 
Wende,  of  Sunnyside,  Wash.  They  were  near  a  drinking 
place  in  the  Yakima  Valley  and  may  have  been  a  family,  but 
they  looked  fully  grown. 

A  dozen  are  the  most  in  one  band  that  I  can  learn  of 
These  were  seen  and  heard  near  Humboldt  by  Professor  John 
Macoyn  on  October  15,  during  his  journev  from  Fort  Carkton 
to  Winnipeg  in  1875.  Early  one  morning,  as  he  sat  by  the 
hre  after  his  wagon  had  gone,  they  gathered  about  him  and 
sitting  on  their  haunches,  some  75  yards  off,  all  howled  their 
loudest  personal  information. 

As  will  be  shown  later,  the  Coyotes  frequently  combine 
their  efforts  for  the  common  good,  although  they  do  not  habit- 
ually  go  or  live  in  bands.  I  should  therefore  say  the  species 
was  sociable,  though  but  slightly  gregarious. 

Intercommunication  of  ideas  is  well  developed  among  .vter 
Coyotes.    The  smell-telephone  with  the  smelling  posts  is  largely  S'""^' 
used   but  they  afeo  communicate  many  ideas  by  example  ^"" 

Their  remarkable  vocal  powers  are  at  least  as  important 
as  any.  The  principal  sounds  they  utter  are  described  in 
another  paragraph. 

'  Forest  and  Strewn,  April  lo,  1S97,  p.  984. 


TION 


796 


Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 


j.'i 


'V ,' 


MATING  It  is  the  opinion  of  all  persons  fam.har  w.th  .ts  habits 

that  this  animal  is  strictly  monogamous.  It  .s  usually  seen 
Zg\l  or  in  pairs,  mostly  in  pairs.  Every  scrap  of  recorded 
evidence  that  I  can  find,  as  well  as  all  my  own  obse-nons 
eo  to  prove  that  winter  and  summer  it  is  the  rule  fc»^  2 
Coyotes  to  run,  hunt,  and  live  together.  Even  the  6  descr.bcd 
by  L.  Wilmot  ^ere  in  3  pairs.  And  since  th.s  un.on  holds  the 
^  year  round,  we  may  safely  mter 

that  the  species  pairs  for  life. 

As  a  natural  corollary  the 
male  helps  in  raising  the  brood. 
A.  S.  Barton  says  that  the 
male  aids  the  female  with  the 
young,  at  least  till  they  are  able 
to  leave  the  den.     In  autumn, 
male  and  female  are  always 
found   together,   but  he   never 
saw  the  whole  family  together 
at  this  time.     The  young  may 
have  scattered,  or  those  observed 
may  have  been  a  barren  pair;   such  are  frequent 

The  actual  mating  season  is  about  the  middle  or  during 
the  last  two  weeks  of  February. 

DB,  Their  usual  denning  place  is  one  dug  by  the  Coyotes 

themselves,  in  some  sunny  bank,  but  they  may  use  an  aban- 
doned Badger  hole. 

The  entrance  is  about  10  by  20  inches  and  is  commonly 
concealed  in  the  bushes.  The  actual  nest  is  sometimes  lined 
with  a  little  grass  and  fur,  and  sometimes  is  quite  bare.  Barton 
sends  the  accompanying  plan  and  description  of  one  which 
he  examined  near  Boissevain,  Man.  (Fig.  200). 

Apparently  it  had  been  dug  by  the  present  owners,  and 
was  much  the  same  as  the  dozen  or  so  others  he  had  invcsti- 
eated  The  air-hole,  located  after  close  search,  was,  as  usual, 
an  old  Gopher  hole,  enlarged  from  below  and  directly  over  the 
nest-  he  supposes  it  was  made  to  admit  fresh  air  to  the  cubs. 


SfnK     -  — 


Fio.  Kjo-nia|tr«n.  o«  the  Coyotr  Drn  opened  by 
A.  S.  Blrtoo,  »l  BolMev»ui,  Mma. 


Coyote  797 

I  have  not  seen  this  ventilator,  but  may  have  overlooked 
It,  as  1  had  not  heard  of  such  a  contrivance  when  last  I  ex- 
amined a  Coyote's  den.  It  is  well  known  that  a  family  will 
have  several  dens,  some  of  which  are,  as  Barton  says,  "sleeping 
places  for  use  dunng  the  heat  of  the  day,  which  is  one  reason 

resultr"""^"^  ^"^'"^*'  *°  ^'^  °"*  ^°y°^''  '^'"'  °'"**^"  ^^'^  °^ 

ADril^rf^th!'T""ru  v^""".  ^"""^  '^'  ^"-^^  half  of  April,  vou^o 
*h    V  I  ^'"^  ^""'^  Zoological  Park  and  April  20  in 

the  Washmgton  Zoo  represent  the  ex  reme  dates  at  hand 
1  hey  number  from  3  to  10,  but  are  usually  5  to  7 

,  »,  I '^  Tr^''""^  ^"'^  ''"'P^*^'''  ^"*  '^^""^d  with  close,  dark 
ash-coloured  fur. 

.nJlu'  f  ""^"^  ^'"'^'^  ''^^^  ^^"  ^^^'^^  '«  "ot  permitted  to 
enter  the  home  tor  some  days  after  their  birth,  but  I  have  not 
been  able  to  confirm  this  belief. 

vnurtArV^^u^"!'  f  ^"  ^^'  ^^^^^  ^"^  ^'^  devotion  is 
vouched  for  by  all  who  know  him.     Dr.  W.  T.  Hornadav 
informs  me  that  the  father  of  the  brood  born  April  9  took  a 
keen  mterest  m  the  young,  and  became  vcr'  officious,  even 
vcious    ,„  the.r  defence.     Their  eyes  opened  on  eighth  and 
nmth   days,    variously.     When   about   three   weeks   old   the 
mother  would  car^r  them  out  into  the  sun,  or  about  the  yard 
out  .^o     '^;-     ^'  ^''  """^^  '^'y  ""^  ^^^  «"°"gh  to  walk 
so^kfaTknol'.:^  ^"'  ""  '-'  ''  '-'-^'^'-^  -  -y  -- 
Keeper  Carson,  however,  assures  me  that  in  the  Philadel- 
phia Zoo,  where  the  Coyotes  frequently  breed,  the  mother 

Grfolf'^tl"  ^'^"^  regularly,  Exactly'  as  doe's  the  mother 
Uray-wolf.  When  some  six  weeks  old,  both  parents  begin  to 
bring  solid  food  to  the  little  ones,  and  the  entrance  to  the  den 

ofThrprey  ^'''^"''  ^"'  ''°""'  '"^  °'^"  """"" 

mntJ*"!^*!""^  t'\  '°  ''*'^"  '°  '^'^  ^"^  welcome  father  and 
mother  back  with  the  new  catch,  that  they  make  little  path- 
ways from  the  den  to  all  the  near  points  that  give  a  view.     Here 


i 


ii 


m. 


798         Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 

they  will  sit  and  watch,  but  are  ever  ready  to  skurry  home  on 

tiie  slightest  alarm.  ..or     ^, 

A  glimpse  of  their  life  at  this  time  was  secured  by  Professor 
John  Macoun,  of  Ottawa,  Ont.,  while  exploring  near  Crane 
Lake.  Sask.,  in  1884.  On  June  23,  he  came  on  a  Coyote  famdy 
-father,  mother,  and  at  least  3  young  ones.    At  his  approach 

all  ran  intd  the  den.  .        . 

As  they  get  older,  Barton  says  that  the  cubs  scratch  out 
litde  pockets  leading  from  the  main  den.  In  diggmg  after 
them,  these  are  frequently  covered  over  and  escape  notice,  so 
that  some  of  the  litde  ones  are  never  found.  .,  r:    . 

I  have  a  most  interesting  photograph  by  William  McFad- 
den,  of  Denver,  showing  9  young  Coyotes  playing  about  the 
door  of  the  house.  This  was  taken  in  J  une.  The  young  were 
about  one-third  grown;  both  parents  were  seen  in  attendance 
on  them,  and  when  they  found  that  the  home  w^as  discovered, 
they  moved  the  young  ones  elsewhere.  (Plate  LXXl.) 

This  habit  is  quite  general  among  Coyotes.  Barton 
writes  that  on  Mav  m.  1905.  he  found  a  den  m  a  ravme 
a  mile  out  of  Boissevain,  Man.  The  mother  was  running 
around  and  the  pups  squealing  deep  in  the  hole.  But  vvhen 
he  went  back  next  day  to  dig  them  out,  f^^e  litter  had  been 
moved  evidently  to  a  distance,  for  a  car.'ul  search  in  the 
neighbourhood  failed  to  locate  them. 

In  July  the  young  are  half  grown.  They  now  begin  to 
run  with  their  parents  and  learn  the  arts  of  hunting.  At  this 
season  the  mother  especially  guards  and  trains  them  carefully. 
Her  warning  call  of  danger  is  a  very  distmctive  cry— a  pro- 
longed,  quavering  yelp   or   squall,   rising  in   pitch  towards 

tlie  end.  .  .      .• 

"  I  remember  [says  Barton]  on  one  occasion  I  was  hunting 
a  young  Coyote,  when  the  mother  coursed  along  a  neighbouring 
height  uttering  this  cry.  I  had  two  foxhounds  in  leash,  they 
were  after  her,  but  a  few  minutes  later  came  racing  towards 
me  in  terror,  closely  pursued  by  the  mother.  They  were  so 
embarrassed  by  the  leash  and  she  was  so  active  that  she  ran 
around  and  bit  them  as  often  as  she  chose." 


ii! 


ifiBB 


Coyote 


7M 


In  October  the  young  arc  as  big  as  the  parents  and 
the  family  is  scattered.  Food  is  still  abundant,  although  the 
Ground-squirrels  have  retired  to  their  winter  quarters,  and  the 
Coyotes  are  sleek  and  fat,  but  from  thi;i  time  on  the  struggle 
for  life  grows  hard  and  deadly. 

"Wolves,  and  probably  Coyotes  [says  Bailey*],  do  not 
breed  till  2  years  old,  which  accounts  for  the  presence  of  roving 
bands  during  the  breeding  season." 

The  only  migration  that  I  know  of  in  this  species  is  the  miora- 
casual  one  in  search  of  shelter  or  better  hunting.     In  January, 


\ 


TION 


I 


Fig.  mi— Tncka  o(  CotoK.    (Lift  ilit.) 

1883,  after  a  three  days'  blizzard  at  Carberry,  Man.,  the 
Coyotes  were  seen  moving  all  day  from  the  north  to  the  south- 
west. Eight  individuals  I  saw,  and  the  trails  in  the  snow  told 
of  many  others  taking  the  same  course.  The  wind  was  south- 
west. Barton  says  that  in  stormy  weather  there  is  a  sort  of 
local  migration  of  the  species  from  the  Souris  Plains  to  the 
sheltered  region  of  Turtle  Mountain. 

The  food  of  the  species  consists  of  every  kind  of  fish,  flesh,  food 
or  fowl  that  it  can  master  alive  or  discover  dead.    Ground- 

•V.  Bailey,  Circular  No.  63,  Biol.  Sur.  U.  S.  Dep.  Agr.,  April  J9,  1908,  p.  7. 


n 


w 


HABira 


CVN- 
NINQ 


800         Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 

.quirreU.  Mice.  Rabbits,  frogs,  snakes,  eggs,  and  fledgl.ng 
birds  are  on  its  bill-of-farc,  and  the  hen-yards  .s  well  ns  the 
sheep-folds  are  levied  on   n  times  of  need. 

Marv  Austin  gives  an  admirable  picture  of  i  prowling 
Coyote  ?n  her  "Land  of  Little  Rain":'  'Watch  a  Coyote 
come  out  of  his  lair."  she  says,  "and  cast  about  m  h.s  m  nd 
where  he  will  go  for  his  daily  killing.  You  cannot  verv  well  tell 
what  decides  him,  but  very  easily  that  he  has  decided.  He 
trots  or  breaks  into  short  gallops,  with  very  percept.hk-  pauses 
to  look  up  and  about  at  landmarks,  alters  his  tack  a  little, 
looking  forward  and  back  to  steer  his  proper  course. 

"I  am  perstiaded  that  the  Coyotes  m  my  valley,  which 
is  narrow  and  beset  with  steep  sharp  hills,  m  long  passages 
steer  by  the  pinnacles  of  the  skyline,  going  with  head  cocked 
to  one  side  to  keep  to  the  left  or  right  of  such  and  such  a 

proniontory.^  trailed  a  Coyote  often,  going  across  countiy, 
perhaps  to  where  some  slant-winged  scavenger  hanging  in  the 
air  signalled  prospect  of  a  dinner,  and  found  his  track  such  as 
a  man.  a  very  intelligent  man  accustomed  to  hill  country,  and 
a  little  cautious,  would  make  to  the  same  point.  Here  a  detour 
to  avoid  a  stretch  of  too  little  cover,  there  a  pause  on  the  nm  ot 
a  gully  to  pick  the  better  way-and  it  is  usually  the  best  way- 
and  making  his  point  with  the  greatest  economy  of  effort. 

The  Prairie-hare  and  others  of  the  Plains  beasts  often  find 
safety  in  superior  fleetness  when  pursued  by  the  Coyote.  But 
the  latter  sometimes  succeeds  by  cunning,  when  all  its  strength 
and  speed  might  fail,  as  the  following  instance,  show: 

John  a  GoflF,  the  hunter,  tells  me  that  while  freighting 
between  Rifle  and  Rawlins,  Colo.,  some  years  ago,  he  saw 
2  Coyotes  chasing  an  Antelope.  They  worked  a  distance  apart 
keepinj;  the  Antelope  running  zigzag  between  them,  so  that  it 
really  did  four  times  the  running  of  either.  It  w.is  n«rly 
exhausted  and   ran  up   to  his  horses  for  protection.    The 

•  1904,  pp.  jt'-J'- 


^IrtHMtt 


Coyote 


801 


Coyotes  then  held  off.  He  had  no  gun,  but  he  threw  a  rope 
around  the  Antelope's  neck  and,  being  in  need  of  meat,  cut 
its  throat,  and  threw  it  into  the  wagon. 

In  an  article  on  "Coyote  P.T-tnership,"  Dr.  George  Bird 
Grmnell,  referring  to  the  Coyote  plan  of  running  an  Antelope 
down  by  relay  chasing,  says:'* 

"Of  course  the  Coyotes  do  not  catch  every  Antelope  they 
Stan.    Sometimes  the  game  runs  such  a  course  that  it  does  not 
pass  near  any  of  the  waiting  Wolves,  and  only  the  one  that 
starts  it  has  any  running  to  do.    In  such  a  case  the  pursuit  is 
at  once  abandoned.    Sometimes    the  Antelope  is  so  stout 
and  strong  that  it  tires  out  all  its  pursuers.  *  *  ♦  Two  or 
three  years  ago  I  camped  one  afternoon  near  Rock  Creek,  and 
as  there  was  very  little  feed  we  turned  the  horses  loose  at  night 
to  pick  among  the  sage  brush  and  grease  wood.    Early  in  the 
morning  before  sunrise,  while  the  man  with  me  was  getting 
breakfast,  I  started  out  to  get  the  horses.    They  were  nowhere 
to  be  seen,  and  I  climbed  to  the  top  of  the  hill  back  of  camp, 
from  which,  as  it  was  the  only  high  place  anywhere  about,  I 
felt  sure  that  I  could  see  the  missing  animals.    Just  before 
I  got  to  the  top  of  the  hill  an  old  doe  Antelope  suddenly  came 
m  view,  closely  followed  by  a  Coyote.    Both  of  them  seemed 
to  be  running  as  hard  as  they  could,  and  both  had  their  tongues 
hanging  out  as  if  they  had  come  a  long  way.    Suddenly,  almost 
at  the  heels  of  the  Antelope— much  closer  to  her  than  the 
other  Wolf— appeared  a  second  Coyote,  which  now  took  up 
the  running,  while  the  one  that  had  been  chasing  her  stopped 
and  sat  down  and  watched.    The  Antelope  ran  quite  a  long 
distance,  always  bearing  a  little  to  the  left,  and  now  seeming  to 
run  more  slowly  than  when  I  first  saw  her.     As  she  kept  run- 
ning, it  was  evident  that  she  would  either  run  around  the  hill 
on  which  I  stood  or  come  back  near  it.    At  first  I  was  so  inter- 
ested in  watching  her  that  I  forgot  to  look  at  the  Wolf  that  had 
stopped  near  me.    When  I  did  so  he  was  no  longer  at  the  place 
where  he  had  stopped,  but  was  trotting  over  a  little  ridge 
that  ran  down  from  the  hill,  and  watching  the  chase  that  was 

"  Foiwt  and  Stmm,  Febnuiy  6,  1897. 


802         Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 

now  so  far  oflF.  He  could  easily  have  run  across  the  chord  of 
the  arc  and  headed  the  Antelope,  but  he  knew  too  well  what 
she  would  do  to  give  himself  that  trouble.  After  a  little  it  was 
evident  that  the  Antelope  would  come  back  pretty  near  to 
the  hill,  but  on  the  other  side  of  it  from  where  she  had  passed 
before,  and  the  Wolf  which  I  had  first  seen  chasing  her  trotted 
out  200  or  300  yards  on  to  the  prairie  and  sat  down.  The 
Antelope  was  now  coming  back  almost  directly  towards  him, 
and  I  could  see  that  there  were  two  Wolves  behind  her,  one 
close  to  her  heels  and  the  other  a  good  way  further  back. 
The  first  Wolf  now  seemed  quite  excited.  He  no  longer  sat 
up  but  crouched  close  to  the  ground,  every  few  moments 
raising  his  head  very  slowly  to  take  a  look  at  the  doe,  and 
then  lowering  it  again  so  that  he  would  be  out  of  sight. 
Sometimes  he  crawled  on  his  belly  a  few  feet  further  from 
me,  evidently  trying  to  put  himself  directly  in  the  path  of  the 
Antelope  and  this  he  seemed  to  have  succeeded  in  doing.  As 
she  drew  near  him  I  could  see  that  she  was  staggering,  she 
was  so  tired,  and  the  Wolf  behind  could  at  any  moment  have 
knocked  her  down  if  he  had  wanted  to,  but  he  seemed  to  be 
waiting  for  something.  The  Wolf  that  was  following  him  was 
now  running  faster  and  catching  up. 

"When  the  Antelope  reached  the  place  where  the  first 
Wolf  was  lying  hidden,  he  sprang  up  and  in  a  jump  or  two 
caught  her  neck  and  threw  her  down.  At  the  same  moment 
the  two  Wolves  from  behind  came  up,  and  for  a  moment  there 
was  a  scuffle  in  which  yellow  and  white  and  gray  and  waving 
tails  were  all  mixed  up,  and  then  the  three  Wolves  were  seen 
standing  there  tearing  away  at  their  breakfast." 

In  the  October  of  1893,  while  living  in  New  Mexico  near 
Clayton,  I  had  an  opportunity  of  watching  a  joint  hunt  of 
Prairie-dogs  by  2  Coyotes,  no  doubt  a  pair.  Early  in  the 
morning  I  vwis  on  a  rugged  hill  overlooking  a  plain  on  which 
was  a  Prairie-dog  town.  One  Coyote  was  in  an  arroyo  or 
dry  watercourse  hidden  from  view.  The  other  walked  openly 
and  calmly  toward  a  Prairie-dog  that  was  barking  vigorously 


PLATE  IXXII. — THE  RELAY  CHASK. 
To  illustrate  the  Coyote's  manner  of  combining  drive  .-,nH  „„hu5h  with  relav  chains.  Kiihoat  whirh  nw  th*v  f.-«!d  not  iatrturc 

the  witter  Antelope.  "^ 


I 


i* ' 


w 


m 


w^^^M,V 


Coyote  803 

on  its  mound.  The  Coyote  paid  little  heed  but  walked  so  as 
to  pass  within  20  yards.  The  Prairie-dog  dodged  down. 
1  hen  Coyote  No.  i  continued  his  leisurely  walk,  while  Coyote 
No.  2  rushed  forward  and  hid  behind  another  mound.  Very 
soon  the  Prairie-dog  began  to  peep  out,  and  seeing  the  Coyote 
at  a  safe  distance  he  scrambled  onto  his  high  outlook  to  hurl 
defiant  little  barks  after  the  foe.  But  the  Coyote  behind 
sprang  and  all  but  caught  him  before  he  scrambled  into 
safety. 

In  this  case  the  combination  failed,  but  evidently  it  must 
oftentimes  succeed. 

On  October  3,  1902,  while  driving  near  Meeker,  Colo 
1  saw  a  cow  defending  her  new-born  calf  from  a  Coyote' 
1  he  calf  was  able  to  stand,  and  2  or  3  steers  lent  some  aid  to 
the  cow.    The  Coyote  walked  about  openly  and  quietly  or 
sat  on  his  haunches  some  20  yards  away.    The  cow  and  steers 
went  on  feeding  but  kept  an  eye  on  the  Coyote,  and  the 
mother  always  managed  to  be  between  the  calf  and  Ms  foe 
Occasionally  one  of  the  defemiers  would  throw  up  his  head 
shake  his  horns,  snort,  and  even  run  a  few  steps  at  the  Coyote' 
but  there  was  a  marked  absence  of  action  in  the  little  drama' 
Doubtless  It  would  continue  so,  unless  the  villain  got  a  chance 
to  rush  m  and  inflict  a  deadly  wound. 

Coyotes  rarely  molest  calves  or  pigs  in  Manitoba,  but  they  sheep- 
are  very  troublesome  among  other  live  stock.  In  the  summer  ""^'^ 
they  kill  many  turkeys  that  roam  afield  far  from  the  protection 
ot  the  house  dog,  and  sheep  are  particularly  subject  to  their 
inroads.  They  have,  indeed,  nearly  put  an  end  to  wool- 
raising  in  the  Province.  They  destroyed  all  Barton's  sheep, 
m^riably  selecting  the  fattest  and  best.  At  first  it  was  found 
sufficient  to  put  bells  on  several  of  the  flock.  But  the  Coyotes 
have  got  so  far  accustomed  to  these  that  the  bells  now  protect 
only  the  sheep  that  wear  them;  some  shepherds  aver  that  these 
sagacious  little  Wolves  will  get  up  at  night  and  listen  for  the 
sheep  bells,  so  as  to  know  where  an  easy  supper  is  awaiting 


804 


STOR- 
AGE 


h' 


I 


u 


m. 


Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 


OMNIV- 
OROUS 


George  H.  Mcasham  writes  me  from  Shoal  Lake  m 
December,  1899:  "Wolves  are  on  the  increase  and  becommg 
a  regular  pest.  Many  people  have  abandoned  keeping  sheep 
on  their  account.  Although  a  bounty  of  $2  is  paid  for  them, 
thry  manage  to  keep  out  of  danger  in  a  way  only  equalled  by 
■  iiemselves." 

Like  many  others  of  the  family,  the  Coyote  has  the  frugal 
habit  of  storing  food  for  future  use;  whether  it  can  thus 
effectually  hide  it  from  plunderers,  or  whether  indeed  it  always 
remembers  the  spot  afterwards  I  cannot  determine,  though  1 
think  it  unlikely  that  an  animal  with  its  high  mentality,  its 
jense  of  locality  and  fine  nose,  could  fail  of  goi  g  to  the  spot 

The  following  incident  witnessed  by  A.  S.  Barton  is  a 
good  illustration  of  the  storage  habit. 

"I  was  mowing  hay  in  my  coulee,  when  I  noticed,  some 
distance  away,  a  Coyote  carrying  somethi  g  in  his  mouth 
He  trotted  down  the  hill  and  with  some  difficulty  through  the 
long  grass,  but  presently  stopped  and  began  to  bury  his  booty 
in  a  mole-heap,  covering  it  with  his  nose,  as  a  dog  does.     Un 
my  approach  he  decamped  and  watched  my  proceedings  from 
the  nearest  hill,  and,  curious  to  know  what  he  had  been  burying, 
I  unearthed  his  cache,  and  found,  to  my  surprise,  a  fine  turkey 
gobbler,  still  warm  and  uninjured,  except  that  its  neck  was 
broken     I  had  no  time  and  less  inclination  to  advertise  for  an 
owner,  but  accepted  'the  goods  the  gods  gave'  and  earned  my 
prize  home.    Our  next  Sunday  dinner  was  much  appreciated, 
and  we  cheerfully  drank  the  health  of  the  purveyor,  and  of  my 
unknown  neighbour  also." 

While  a  hunter  by  profession  and  by  choice,  there  is 
nothing  in  the  way  offish,  flesh,  or  fowl,  ancient  or  modern,  that 
the  Coyote  disdains  for  food.  In  the  South-western  States  it 
has  gone  farther,  developing  there  the  watermelon  habit  and 
I  was  not  surprised  to  find  it  a  fruit-eater  in  the  far  North- 
west. 


tit 


Coyote  805 

Alta^rialto^o^'"'""'  ^'^'''^  °"  '^'  ^'^^^^^^^  River, 
fr  wJ  K  I    ""''  \9°7.  were  sent  to  the  Biological  Survey 

at  Washington  for  analysis.     The  following  remains   n  thlm 
were  Identified  by  Edward  A.  Preble  and  W.  L   Mcltee 

Dcrries.  Araha  nudtcaula,  many  berries  and  seeds;  Microtiis 
drummond,,   some    hair   (apparently)  and   portion  of  sku  ' 

^Tofs^mrfir  teerrrT^^  ^^^^'  ~ 

man,,,   r-     ^  '"»".   water-beetles  {Cortxa),  remams  of  a  good 

r^Ant^Srn:?  ^''^''"'°^'-  ^--'"^'  ---  °^^^- 

th,t  J^""  "^'"^^ '''  ^^'^^"^se.  the  season  of  peril  for  all  creatures 

t  s^nd  the  T:  T  '  ?  ^"PP'y  °^  ^°^'  -  hiberna  e.     Can 
P    K  u,  *^t^'"»*^'"?  «  the  crucial  test  of  all  Northern  soecie. 
Probably  the  chief  thing  that  carries  the  Coyote  ^cTthrr^h 
IS  the  new  supply  of  food  brought  in  by  Adr  «emv-the 

7T~^fVc'  ^•"^^-'^•"<^d  sheep  and'^cattle  These  Ire 
dragged  forth  from  time  to  time,  and  at  each  carcass  half  w^M 
dogs  contend  in  nightly  feast  with  Coyot«Tbo^  m  e 
while  a  b.gGray-wolf  fills  his  capacious  belly. 

.ffnJ^"*"  "^  '?*''^'  disadvantages  in  this  food  supply   it  «ange 
affords  a  certain  place  for  traps  and  poison  to  be  laid;  Edreds 

TherrA""^  "°' '  ^'"  *^°«^  ^''  *hus  destroyed  eve^  year 

from  over-feeding  on  dead  horses.     I  do  not  know  the  evidence 
for  this  explanation  or  against  it.     The  mange  speedfly  rls 

meanTTeLr"'  ^"'  '"  ^  ^^""^^^  ^-^  o^  -^^i: 
that  clv^tl''"'^' '"  '*^''  ^  "^^  S^"*^'^"y  ^«s"^<^d  by  residents 
growing  scarce.  As  many  as  70  or  80  skins  were  to  be  seen 
hanging  in  Carberry  at  the  same  time,  and  the  price  for  the 
pnmest  had  then  dropped  from  151.50  to  7.  cent  A  L-' 
farmer.  Thomas  Kerr,  said  that'on'e  wi/teVrLirie-tSf 


I  * 


1^ 


MEN- 
TAL- 
ITY 


806         Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 

without  any  hair  on  it  hid  itself  under  his  straw  stack,  and 
although  driven  away  by  his  dog,  it  returned  and  ensconced 
itself  under  the  granary,  where  he  shot  it.     It  had  some  disease 
which  had  robbed  it  entirely  of  its  ha.r,  excepting  a  little  patch 
on  the  shoulders,  and  it  was  trembling  with  cold. 

Another  instance  which  shows  how  hard  pressed  the 
Coyote  is  at  times  by  hunger  was  related  to  me  by  another 
Manitoba  resident,  Robert  McCullough.  ^ 

At  Carberry  one  winter's  morning  he  went  with  a      Her 
in  his  hand  to  get  some  feed  from  the  driving  shc^         he 
door  was  a  little  open,  and  he  saw  as  he  approached  a    -uimal 
which  dashed  about  in  the  gloom  of  the  shed.     Its  actions 
showed  it  to  be  a  wild  creature.     He  ran  to  the  door  just  m 
time  to  prevent  its  escape.     Barring  the  passage  wuh  the  boiler, 
he  rushed  to  the  st.  .le  and  back  with  a  fork.    The  creature 
a  Wolf,  took  refuge  under  a  reaper  and  there  McCullough 
speared  it,  but  the  fork  only  pierced  the  loose  skin  of  its 
belly,  and  it  turned  on  its  enemy,  who  held  the  fork  to  the 
ground  with   all   his   strength,  and  was  barely  out  of  the 
reach  of  the  Wolf's  jaws,  for  the  handle  was  short   but  he 
dared  not  withdraw  the  fork  to  strike  again,  and  he  had  nothing 
to  finish  the  animal  with,  so  it  was  a  deadlock    After  a  struggle 
however,  the  man  got  the  end  of  the  handle  fixed  under  a 
beL  and  rushed  off  to  get  a  club.    On  returning,  the  Wolf  was 
gone,  apparently  for  good.     But  the  next  morning  it  was 
found  within  a  few  yards  of  the  same  place,  quite  dead,  for  the 
fork  had  pierced  its  bowels.     But  why  should  it  return  to  the 
shed? 

The  Prairie-wolf  is  mentally  a  compound  of  Fox  and 
Wolf  While  gifted  with  a  good  deal  of  cunning  that  is  shown 
in  its  avoidance  of  traps  and  its  method  of  taking  its  prey,  it 
is  also  a  desperate  fighter  when  at  all  evenly  matched. 

I  have  more  than  once  seen  a  Coyote  run  across  an  open 
stretch  of  black  ploughed  land,  then  on  a  piece  of  dry  yellow 
grass  sink  into  concealment.  It  matched  it  perfectly  m  col- 
our but  was  probably  actuated  by  the  idea  that  it  was  cover. 


.'J 


Coyote  807 

c  J^^^°y°"  '«  '"8  shy  and  cunning  than  the  Gray-wolf. 
1  find  the  following  characteristic  note  in  my  New  Mexico 
Journal: 

"Clayton,  December  14, 1893.  This  morning  I  found  that 
a  small  Gray-wolf  had  run  my  drag  till  he  came  to  the  first 
trap;  there  he  turned  aside,  passing  three  cheese  baits  A 
second  very  large  Gray-wolf  struck  the  drag  just  before  the 
second  traps.  He  passed  them  unhurt,  then  came  to  a  cheese 
bait,  urinated  on  it,  and  had  then  left  the  drag  altogether 
A  Coyote  that  was  following  him  on  the  chance  of  pickings. 

S^Ir  u"}^^.  ''^"  ^"'^  ^^'  ''^P*  ^'■°'"  •*  by  the  treatment  the 
Wolf  had  given  it,  but  went  on  a  mile  and  a  half,  picked 
up  a  poisoned  cheese  bait,  and  then  half  a  mile  farther  got 
caught  in  the  next  trap,  where  I  found  him  stark  and 
dead. 

It  takes  a  wonderfully  good  dog  to  kill  a  Wolf  Yet  I 
knew  a  collie,  'Old  Frank,'  the  property  of  my  neighbour. 
John  1  hompson,  of  Carberry,  Man.,  that  had  several  times  run 
down  and  killed  Coyotes  single-handed.  I  saw  him  actually 
perform  this  feat  in  the  November  of  1882.  The  Wolf  faced 
hini  anam  and  again,  but  he  managed  each  time  to  escape 
serious  injury  from  its  jaws,  and  when  the  Wolf  turned  to  fly 
he  woi.'  snao  at  its  rear.  On  skinning  the  Wolf  I  found  that 
thed  fv  had  sunk  deep  into  the  Wolf's  flesh  each  time, 

soth  a-legs  were  disabled.    This  Wolf,  however,  died 

gamely  i.e,ntiag. 

In  my  early  days  I  caught  a  great  many  Wolves  in  traps- 
many  scores,  if  not  hundreds— and  I  found  great  diversity  of 
behaviour  among  them  at  this  trying  time.  Some  were  utterly 
cowed,  and  submitted  to  the  death  penalty  in  sullen  silence, 
others  struggled  to  escape,  some  yelled  defiance,  and  not  a  few 
barked  and  growled  savagely,  trying  to  reach  me,  raging  and 
defiant  to  the  end. 

I  have  often  known  a  Coyote  to  tempt  a  dog  to  chase  him, 
then,  at  a  safe  distance  from  the  dog's  human  backers,  turn  on 
him  and  drive  him  back  with  noisy  demonstrations  that  looked 
like  a  wild  practical  joke. 


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808         Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 

On  March   18,  1883,  I  had  an  experience  that  shows 
somewhat  of  the  mind  of  the  Prairie-wolf. 

About  9  A.M.  I  was  leaving  the  barnyard  with  team  and 
sleigh  to  get  a  load  of  wood.  As  I  rounded  the  stable  I  came 
into  full  view  of  a  dead  calf  that  was  lying  on  the  open  prainc  75 
yards  away.  A  Wolf  was  tearing  at  the  calf;  he  saw  me  plamly 
but  went  on  with  his  eating.  Of  course  I  had  no  gun ;  I  knew 
that  if  I  stopped  now  to  get  a  gun  the  Wolf  would  run.  So  1 
kept  straight  on.  I  passed  within  30  yards  of  him;  he  watched 
me,  but  kept  on  eating.  After  I  was  300  yards  away  I  turned 
back  by  another  road,  intending  to  go  cautiously  to  the  house 
and  get  the  gun,  but  the  moment  I  left  the  beaten  road  that 
watchful  Wolf  seemed  to  divine  my  purpose,  and  ran  as  though 
already  the  lead  were  flying  after  him. 

A  similar  incident  is  narrated  by  Dr.  W.  T.  Hornaday. 
"  The  delicacy  of  the  Coyote's  judgment  in  keeping  always 
beyond  fair  gun-shots  is  truly  wonderful.  If  he  is  not  a  mind- 
reader  his  actions  belie  him.  Twice  in  Montana,  each  tunc 
for  two  weeks,  have  I  tried  my  utmost  to  shoot  a  Coyote;  but 
during  those  periods  not  one  would  offer  more  than  a  running 
shot  at  three  hundred  yards  or  more.  Twice,  however,— and 
immediately  after  the  above,— when  riding  quite  unarmed, 
have  Coyotes  sat  down  beside  the  trail,  waited  for  me  to  zp- 
proach  within  forty  yards,  then  yawned  in  a  bored  manner,  and 
slowly  trotted  off.  It  is  my  belief  that  those  animals  knew 
perfectly  well  my  inability  to  shoot." 

This  is  an  incident  of  a  kind  that  has  led  many  to  credit 
this  animal  (and  others)  with  the  power  of  telepathy.  Before 
accepting  such  an  explanation  we  must  have  many  cognate 
instances  recorded  by  trained  observers  and  also  have  a  fuller 
knowledge  of  the  animal's  sense-capacity  in  an  ordinary 
way. 

FIGHT-  In  August,  1886,  I  saw  2  female  Coyotes  fight  in  a  cage. 

'"^        They  snapped  chiefly  at  each  other's  necks.    The  victor,  how- 
ever, disabled  and  subdued  the  other  by  a  serious  bite  m  the 

"  Amer.  Nat.  Hist.,  1904,  p.  24- 


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fore-leg,  then  amused  herself  by  gro'vling  ad  urinating 
elaborately  over  the  fallen  foe;  a  treatment  to  which  the  van- 
quished submitted  with  every  appearance  of  abject  fear. 

This  disposition  tu  spurn  and  insult  a  conquered  enemy 
seems  peculiar  to  the  dogs.  Nothing  of  the  kind  is  observable 
in  cats.  When  a  cat's  enemy  flies,  the  victor  is  done  with  him, 
but  flight  of  the  foe  is  the  strongest  incentive  in  a  dog  to  pursue 
for  a  time  at  least  and  cover  himself  with  glory. 

The  speed  of  the  Co^  Jte  is  great,  and  has  often  been  the  spieo 
subject  of  admiring  comment,  but  I  think  it  has  been  over- 
rated. After  collecting  data  of  various  kinds,  such  as  actual 
known  records  of  dogs  and  ht-vses,  also  the  comparative 
records  of  dogs  and  Hares,  or  horses  and  Foxes,  Wolves  and 
hounds,  hounds  and  automobiles,  I  have  attempted  a  scale  of 
comparative  speeds.  This  appears  in  a  different  form  in  t'e 
Antelope  chapter,  p.  233  : 

Blood  Race-hone        coven  a  mile  in  about  i  minute   40  lecondi 


Pronghomed  Antelope 
Fint-clau  Greyhound 
Jack-rabbit 
Common  Fox 
Northern  Coyote 
Foxhound 
American  Gray-wolf 


1  "  50 

2  minutes  o 
2  "  10 
2  "  20 
2  "  30 

2  "  40 

3  "  o 


Many  hunters  would  set  the  Kit-fox  or  Swift  yet  above 
the  Greyhound,  especially  for  a  short  rac<  I  ut  I  hav  lad  no 
personal  experience  with  the  species  in  a  ,  lase.  The  little 
Prairie  Cottontail,  can,  I  believe,  get  away  from  the  Swift  in  a 
hundred  yards  dash;  they  cannot  keep  it  up  for  long,  but  their 
initial  velocity  is  incredible  and  baflles  the  eye,  not  a  leg,  not  a 
Rabbit  is  to  be  seen,  nothing  but  a  white  streak  across  the 
prairie,  till  it  promptly  disappears  in  some  burrow. 

What  actually  counts  in  the  race  is,  as  usual,  the  trifle  more 
speed  that  each  animal  can  command. 

For  example,  the  Gray-wolf  makes  650  yards  to  the  minute 
and  the  Coyote  about  700.     But  that  50  yards  makes  all  the 


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1  if 


810         Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 

difference  between  living  and  dying.    That  50  yards  margin  is 
probably  the  foothold  on  which  the  whole  Coyote  race  has  been 

built  up.  .  •  1       1       r 

These  rates,  it  will  be  seen,  trench  on  the  especial  realm  ot 
birds:  small  birds  make  only  25  to  30  miles  an  hour. 

It  is  a  well-known  principle  that  the  special  development 
of  an  animal  is  its  most  variable  part.  Thus  the  peculiar  bell 
in  the  throat  of  a  Moose  varies  enormously;  the  bill  of  the  Long- 
billed  Curlew,  the  neck-feathers  of  the  Ruff,  the  spots  of  the 
Ocelot,  the  white  bands  of  the  Skunk,  the  horns  of  the  Elk,  are 
so  varied  that  rarely  two  are  found  just  alike.  Speed  is  one  of 
the  peculiarities  of  the  Coyote  as  it  is  of  the  greyhound,  and 
we  must,  therefore,  look  for  gicat  variations  of  rate.  I  have 
selected  an  average  for  my  calculation,  but  there  are  occasional 
individuals.  Coyotes  of  rare  gifts,  whose  speed  and  endurance 
would  put  them  very  near  the  top  of  our  scale. 

An  individual  of  this  description  lived  for  three  years  on 
the  north  slope  of  Turtle  Mountain,  near  Boissevain,  Man. 
He  was  known  as  the  'Greyhound  Coyote.'  A.  S.  Barton 
hunted  him  many  times  with  first-class  greyhounds,  dogs  which 
ordinarily  had  no  difficulty  in  catching  a  Coyote,  and,  though 
the  chase  was  several  times  over  open  prairies,  he  has  always 
left  the  dogs  behind  in  a  straight  three-mile  run,  and  safely 
reached  his  retreat  in  the  wooded  ravines  of  Turtle  Mountain, 
thanks,  not  to  any  stratagem,  but  to  his  speed.  It  is  not  known 
what  his  end  was;  he  may,  indeed,  be  living  yet. 

iNo-  Barton  relates  a  curious  instance  of  a  crippled  Coyote 

""^"^  living  for  the  last  two  years  near  Boissevain.  It  is  known  as 
the  'Three-legged  Terror.'  One  of  its  front  legs  is  missing, 
probably  it  was  lost  in  a  trap,  but  in  spite  of  this  the  creature 
can  outrun  an  ordinary  dog.  Greyhounds  or  very  fast  dogs 
easily  outstrip  it,  whereupon  it  finds  a  place  to  protect  its 
rear  and  presents  such  a  desperate  front  that  it  has  hitherto 

escaped.  . 

I  suspect  that  this  is  a  female,  which  might  partly  account 

for  its  immunity. 


Coyote 


811 


The  winter  IS,  of  course,  the  chief  enemy  of  the  Northern  ene- 
Loyote.  The  shutting  off  of  many  food  supplies,  the  severe  ""^ 
weather,  the  exposure  to  view  of  the  hunters,  poisoned  baits 
which  m  summer  would  be  scorned  but  which  are  now  swal- 
.owed  in  desperation,  all  unite  to  make  havoc  in  the  numbers, 
and  those  that  are  left  by  the  end  of  February  are  the  strongest 
and  wariest.  Next  after  winter,  the  worst  enemy  of  the 
Loyoteisman;  next  to  this,  dogs;  next,  disease  and  parasites: 
then  probably  the  Gray-wolf,  the  eagle,  and  the  horned  owl. 

It  is  improbable  that  these  birds  would  attack  a  grown 
Coyote,  or  that  the  Gray-wolf  could  catch  one,  but  the  very 
young  would  fall  an  easy  prey. 

The  Elk  and  Deer  are  to  be  reckoned  in  this  list.  Thev 
have  well-founded  hatred  of  all  Wolves,  and  never  fail  to 
strike  one  when  they  can.  One  blow  from  the  foot  of  an  Elk 
or  Deer  or  even  an  Antelope,  may  disable  a  Coyote,  and  give 
the  hoofed  avenger  a  chance  to  finish  his  work. 

I  have  never  heard  of  a  sane  Coyote  attacking  man. 

u    J^^  following  adventure  with  a  mad  Coyote  was  recorded  mad 
by  Malcolm  Little,  of  Provo,  Utah,  and  sent  me  by  Mrs   S    ''"^^^^ 
Young  Gates  of  the  same  city. 

"The  summers  of  1891  and  1892  were  extremely  dry  and 
hot  in  northern  Mexico.  A  two  years'  drought  had  left  the 
extensive  valleys  barren.  The  grass  was  crisp  and  bleached, 
the  dust  heavy  and  rose  in  clouds,  and  the  Casas  Grandes 
Kiver  was  dry  save  for  a  few  deep,  stagnant  pools.  This  beine 
the  only  water  within  many  miles,  all  the  animals  of  the  im- 
mediate  vicinity  came  there  to  drink.  As  a  result,  on  each 
side  of  the  river,  for  a  great  distance,  hardly  a  spear  of  grass 
could  be  found.  ■>       r-  ^ 

"The  Coyotes  were  very  numerous.  They  seemed  to 
have  been  drawn  from  all  the  surrounding  country  to  these 
watering  places.  So  numerous  were  they,  in  fact,  that  in  a 
tew  hours  a  man  sitting  in  a  tree  near  one  of  the  pools  shot 
13  that  came  to  drink.  They  roamed  about  in  droves  of 
trom  eight  to  twelve  in  search  of  food.    They  were  gaunt  and 


■ 


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812         Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 

hungry-eyed,  and  their  fur  was  long  and  shaggy.  They  ap- 
peared to  have  lost  nearly  all  the  sense  of  fear  of  man  for  they 
would  hardly  move  out  of  the  way  of  a  horseman.  They  came 
into  the  towns  and  several  were  killed  in  the  yards  of  the 
dwellings.  One,  I  remember  hearing  of,  walked  mto  the  par- 
lour at  the  front  door,  and  while  yet  inside  was  killed  with  a 
garden  hoe  by  the  lady  of  the  house.  These  many  little 
encounters,  however,  were  considered  as  only  matters  of 
pleasant  gossip,  and  no  one  thought  of  any  possible  danger 

coming  from  them. 

"In  late  June  of  1892  three  men  camped  for  the  night 
midway  between  the  village  of  Ascension  and  the  Boca  Grande, 
near  one  of  the  watering  places  on  the  river.  They  were  on 
the  range  in  search  of  cattle,  and,  as  is  common  with  cowboys 
after  the  horses  were  hobbled  out  and  supper  over,  they  spread 
their  blankets  on  the  ground.  A  wide  bed  was  made  and 
about  nine  o'clock  they  lay  down  to  sleep,  Derby  Johnson 
occupying  one  side,  and  the  Jacobson  brothers  the  other  two 

"One  of  the  Jacobsons  was  anxious  about  the  horses  and 
did  not  sleep  soundly.    In  a  few  hours  he  was  startled  from 
a  state  of  semi-wakefulness  by  a  muffled  sound,  and  seeing 
Derby  sitting  up  in  bed,  and  thinking  something  might  be 
wrong  with  the  animals,  began  to  sit  up  also.    As  he  did  so 
he  saw  what  appeared  to  be  the  tail  of  a  Coyote  moving  to  and 
fro     He  sprang  to  his  feet.    The  animal  with  its  teeth  fastened 
on  the  right  jaw  of  his  friend,  just  to  the  right  of  the  chin,  was 
clinging  with  the  tenacity  of  madness;  while  Derby,  apparently 
frozen  by  awful  sensations,  sat  clasping  the  Coyote  by  the  neck 
with  both  hands,  one  on  each  side.    It  was  clear  the  only  way 
the  animal  could  be  removed  was  by  prying  open  its  mouth. 
The  brothers  were  strong  men.    Unconscious  of  the  danger  to 
themselves,  or  disregarding  it,  they  took  hold  of  the  fastened 
jaws  and  broke  them  apart,  the  lower  one  being  entirely 
wrenched  from  its  place.    They  threw  the  Coyote  to  one  side, 
but,  V.  ith  its  lower  jaw  dangling  downward  and  with  menacing 
growls,    it   came   towards   them   again.    The   young   man, 


.   5 


k 


Coyote  813 

Derby  now  freed,  took  his  knife  from  his  pocket,  cut  the  ani- 
mal  s  throat,  and  then  fainted. 

"One  of  the  brothers  remained  with  him  while  the  other 
went  for  the  horses.  About  eleven  o'clock  that  night  they 
started  towards  home,  a  distance  of  fifteen  miles.  Derby  could 
ride  only  a  few  hundred  yards  without  having  to  stop  to  rest 
and  v^  frequently  the  journey  was  stopped  by  his  fainting! 
1  hey  reached  home  early  in  the  morning.  Examination 
showed  the  Coyote  had  left  a  bad  wound  under  his  chin,  where 
the  teeth  had  penetrated,  while  in  the  upper  part  were  only 
holes  of  the  canines. 

"In  a  few  days  the  patient  was  around,  apparently  well 
and  domg  his  work.  ' 

"After  the  biting  the  Coyote  was  examined,  and  only  dry 
Cottonwood  leaves  were  found  in  its  stomach.  From  all 
appearances  it  had  had  the  rabies. 

...  "^^°^[^  "^°"th  after  the  occurrence  the  young  man  was 
ndmg  with  his  companions,  gathering  cattle  from  out  of  a  lake 
1  he  water  was  shallow,  hardly  knee-deep  to  the  horses,  and 
the  cattle  had  gone  there  to  feed  on  the  rushes.  All  day  this 
work  continued,  and  while  splashing  through  the  lake  he  felt  the 
first  symptom  of  hydrophobia-a  strong  aversion  for  water. 
1  his  feeling  later  was  aggravated  by  some  of  his  friends  offer- 
ing him  their  canteens  from  which  to  drink. 

A  V  '"^  ""S?™^^  ^°"^*^  immediately,  and  for  a  while  was 
dehrious.  These  spells  continued  intermittently.  He  grew 
worse  for  two  or  three  days,  constantly  developing  a  still 
stronger  dislike  for  all  liquids,  and  he  was  able  to  swallow  but 
very  little.  Towards  the  last  his  ravings  became  maniacal,  and 
several  men  were  required  to  hold  him.  A  viscid  secretion 
came  from  his  mou.h,  the  colour  of  his  skin  became  purple,  and 
his  ravings  were  very  loud-the  latter,  however,  had  nothing 
like  barking  about  them,  contrary  to  the  common  belief  in 
cases  of  hydrophobia.  During  the  last  hour  of  his  life  he  was 
quiet,  and  he  died  peacefully. 

"After  this  happening  a  'scalp  hunt'  was  gotten  up.  and 
109  Coyotes  were  killed." 


!! 


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814         Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 

VOICE  The  voice  of  the  Coyote  is  one  of  its  most  remarkable 

Rifts.  Barking  is  supposed  to  be  limited  to  the  dog  and  Coyote, 
ihis  is  not  strictly  true,  for  Wolves,  Foxes,  and  Jackals  bark  at 
times,  but  it  is  true  that  the  Coyote  is  the  only  wild  animal  that 

habitually  barks.  u-      • 

We  must  assume,  as  general  propositions,  that  nothing  in 

nature  is  without  adequate  cause,  and  that  it  is  always  worth 

while  to  search  that  out.     Most  of  the  many  calls  of  the 

Coyote  are  signals  to  its  companions,  but  some  of  them  seem 

to  be  the  outcome  of  the  pleasure  it  finds  in  making  a  noise. 

The  most  peculiar  of  its  noises  is  the  evening  song,  uttered 

soon  after  sunset,  close  to  camp.    This  is  a  series  of  short 

barks  increasing  in  power  and  pitch  till  it  changes  into  a  long 

squall     One  Coyote  begins  and  immediately  two  or  niore 

join  in,  making  so  much  noise  that  newcomers  think  there 

must  be  a  hundred  Wolves  out  there.     It  is  kept  up  for  perhaps 

a  minute  or  two,  then  ceases  till  some  new  impulse  seizes  them. 

August  27,  1904,  in  W.  F.  White's  menagerie  at  Winnipeg,  1 

saw  a  Coyote  pup,  which,  though  litt'   bigger  than  a  house  cat, 

and  less  than  three  months  old,  had  a  fully  developed  voice 

and,  much  to  the  amusement  of  numerous  bystanders,  joined 

in  the  yapping  chorus  as  lustily  as  his  grown-up  relatives. 

Another  note  I  have  heard  them  utter  towards  dawn  >s  a 
long,  smooth  sound,  of  truly  musical  quality.  I  have  some- 
times mistaken  it  for  the  fluty  call  of  a  loon  to  his  mate. 

I  once  knew  a  Coyote  that  would  stay  around  the  ranch 
till  the  small  dog  went  valiantly  after  it.  The  Coyote  would 
run  till  at  a  distance  that  made  it  safe  from  guns,  then  turn  on 
the  dog  and  drive  him  back  ignominously  to  the  shelter  of  the 
house.  Of  course,  the  dog  soon  learned  that  the  enemy  was 
not  so 'easy' as  he  looked. 

On  each  occasion  when  the  Coyote  turned,  he  uttered  a 
series  of  gurgling,  growling  barks,  that  seemed  to  strike  terror 
into  the  dog,  and  were  to  me  an  entirely  new  Coyote  'song. 

The  sound  the  old  one  utters  when  the  young  are  in 
danger  is  described  by  A.  S.  Barton  as  a  loud,  short,  rough 
squall. 


PLATE  LXXIV.— COYOTE  IN  WINTER  COAT. 

In  New  York  Zoological  Park. 

From  a  pholiigraph  by  Elwin  R.  Sanhom. 


"J 

Id 


PLATE  IXXV. — COYOTE  DEN. 

In  Ae  undhillf.  C«rb«rry,  Man. 

From  a  >.hi,ta(raph  by  E.  T.  Setoo, 


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Coyote 


815 


In  their  vespers  he  also  notes  an  interesting  habit.  Two 
or  three  Coyotes  will  meet  each  night  on  a  certain  elevated 
place  to  sing.  They  have  several  of  these  recognized  choir- 
lofts,  but  they  never  use  the  same  on  two  nights  in  succession. 
Sometimes  on  Turtle  Mountain,  in  dead  calm  moonlit  nights, 
each  Coyote  gets  up  un  his  singing  perch  and  pours  out  his 
loudest  and  finest  notes.  This  is  passed  on  from  one  point  to 
another,  till  the  whole  mountain  seems  ringing  with  the  weird 
music,  and,  from  its  very  wildness  and  the  vast  stretch  of  the 
country  that  is  concerned,  the  effect  is  truly  impressive. 

In  captive  animals  these  simultaneous  outbursts  are  often 
observed.  A  favourite  time  is  at  noon,  when  the  blowing  of 
whistles  seems  to  be  the  immediate  cause,  or  possibly  only  the 
last  touch  that  precipitates  the  event. 


:l 


This  species  readily  crosses  with  the  dog.     S.  L.  Bedson  hybrids 
showed  me  a  number  of  these  hybrids  at  Stony  Mountain, 
Man.,  in  1885.    They  were  intermediate  in  character  and 
continued  to  be  interfertile  with  either  stock,  at  least,  for  two 
or  more  generations. 

I  never,  however,  heard  of  a  cross  betweci  a  Coyote  and 
Gray-wolf,  although  the  dog  is  as  readily  crossv.d  with  the 
latter  as  with  the  former  relative. 

Coyotes   arc   kept   down   by   poisoning,   trapping,   and  kilung 
hunting. 

Poisoning,  however,  is  now  forbidden  on  account  of  the 
number  of  dogs  destroyed. 

Trapping  is  carried  on  as  with  Foxes,  for  the  Coyote  is 
quite  as  cunning  as  its  red-haired  cousin.  Not  less  than  a  No.  2 
trap  will  do,  and  it  must  be  fast  to  a  drag  of  20  or  30  pounds 
weight,  never  staked  solid.  Trap,  log,  and  all  must  be  de- 
odorized by  smoking  and  rubbing  with  blood.  They  must  be 
carefully  concealed  in  the  soft  ground  and  scraps  of  meat  scat- 
tered about,  but  not  on,  the  trap.  A  lump  of  meat  buried 
under  the  trap  is  a  sure  attraction.  The  certainty  with  which 
they  dig  out  buried  meat,  leads  me  to  believe  that  the  C  yotes 


iii 

:      i'/ 


;! 


l> 


Mlitei 


PELT 


816         Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 

are  very  lax  in  their  ideas  of  property  rights  where  a  cache  of 
eatables  is  concerned. 

The  pelt  of  the  Coyote  should  be  cased.  The  more  com- 
plete it  is  the  better.  It  is  prime  from  October  to  April,  and, 
according  to  the  Winnipeg  market  quotations  of  March  26, 
1904,  was  worth  jSi.oo  to  fia.oo.  After  consulting  with  many 
country  storekeepers  in  the  leading  parts  of  Manitoba,  I  reckon 
that  not  less  than  1,000  skins  are  shipped  each  year  from  the 
Province.  It  is  a  beautiful  fur,  but  not  durable  enough  for  a 
rug. 


Vi 


'  I 


y^i_g^- 


XXXV. 

The  Canada  Otter. 

Lutra  canadensis  (Schreber). 
(L.  lutra,  an  Otter;  canadensis,  of  Canada.) 

Mustela  luira  canadensis  Schreb.,  1776,  Saug.  pi.,  CXXVI  B. 
Lutra  canadensis  Sabine,  1823,  Franklin's  Overland  Journey, 
P-  653. 

Type  Locality. — Eastern  Canada. 

French  Canadian,  la  Loutre  du  Canada. 
Cree,  Ojib.,   &  Saut.,  Ne-geek'. 
Montagnais  (Gulf  of  St.  Lawrence),  Un'chuch. 
Chipewyan,  Nop'-e-ay. 
Yankton  Sioux,  Pe-tang 
Ogallala  Sioux,  Ptan. 

The  Weasel  Family  or  Mustelida  are  carnivores  of  long 
form  on  short  legs,  with  tail  various,  ears  short,  non-retractile 
claws,  and  teeth  32  to  38. 

The  genus  Lutra  (Brisson,  1762)  comprises  Weasels  of 
large  size,  with  short  legs,  long  tails;  adapted  for  life  in  the 
water,  having  dense  oily  fur,  webbed  feet,  etc.  The  teeth  are 
as  follows: 


Inc.  ^ — ;  can. ;  prem.^^;  mol.  =26 

i-3  i-i  i-i  2-2     ^ 

In  addition  to  these  characters,  the  Canada  Otter  has  the 
feet  with  more  or  less  hairy  soles. 

The  Muskrat  is  protected  against  the  cold  water  by  a 
fine  robe  of  dense  fur,  the  Whale  by  a  thick  layer  of  fat  under 
the  skin;  the  Otter  is  happy  in  the  possession  of  both,  and  can 
enjoy  the  coldest  of  water  in  the  coldest  of  weather. 

817 


! 
I 


\i 


W 


^1 


i) 


818         Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 

SIZE  Length,  about  40  inches  (1,000  mm.);    tail,  12J  inches 

(317  mm.);  hind-foot,  4  inches  (102  mm.). 
WEIGHT  A  female  collected  by  Dr.   Merriam,  on  Birch  Creek, 

Ida.,'  August  14,   1890,  weighed  19  pounds  (8J  kilograms); 

a  young  one  with  her  weighed  10  pounds  (4i  kilograms);  both 

were  fat. 
COLOUR  In  general,  the  colour  is  dark  rich  glossy  brown,  becoming 

paler  and  grayer  below;   the  brown  of  the  head  and  muzzle 

changes  on  lips,  cheeks,  chin,  and  throat,  rather  abruptly,  into 

a  pale  brownish-gray,  almost  a  grayish-white.    Some  specimens 

are  much  paler. 

In  the  American  Museum  is  an  albino,  or  nearly  white, 

freak  from  Alaska. 

The  following  races  are  recognized: 

canadensis,  the  typical  form. 

lataxina  F.  Cuvier,  smaller. 

vaga  Bangs,  larger  and  redder  than  canadensis. 

pacifica  Rhoads,  pale  in  colour. 

sonora  Rhoads,  a  large  and  yellowish  race. 

Besides  which  are  two  closely  allied  insular  forms: 

Lutra  degener  Bangs,  very  small  found  in  New- 
foundland. 

Lutra  periclyzoma  Elliot,  a  large  kind  from  Queen 
Charlotte  Islands. 


Life-history. 

RAX-  ;  The  range  of  this  specie-  includes  nearly  the  whole  conti- 

nent.    It  is,  or  was,  found  in  all  parts  of  Manitoba,  though  its 
numbers  are  greatly  reduced  there  to-day. 
ENVIRON  Frequenting  invariably  the  water,  or  the  vicinity  of  water, 

MEN-r      the  Otter  finds   its  ideal   surroundings   in  good-sized   clear 

'  N.  A.  Fauna,  No.  S,  July,  1891,  p.  82. 


MAP  44— RAHGE  OF  THE  NORTH  AMERICAK  OTTERS. 

(Bzcluding  tb*  Sea-otter) 
ThU  IMP  ii  founded  chidly  on  record,  by  E.  Couei,  C.  Hart  Merriam,  D.  G.  Elliot,  E.  W.  NeUon,  R.  MacFarlane,  C.  B.  Towmend,  E.  A. 
re  ..c,  Jj^^^^j^--'^^  fakiy \«11  «iabli5;cd,'Mcei)i'in'the  Southwest.    I  find  no  recotdi  for  the  unmarked  regioo.    Aotiooate  thould  haw  been  tinted. 


The  (oUowinf  are  recofoiiad: 

Luha  ammJmtU  (Schreber)  with  S  race*. 
LuliQ  dtfo'  Banp, 


Lahm  luudtm  Fonyth-llajor,  from  Central  America. 


819 


u 


I 


BOMZ- 
RANGE 


8«o         Lifc-hisiorics  of  Northern  Animals 

streams  that  abound  with  fish,  and  that  are  much  varied  in 
bank  and  bed  by  pools,  rapids,  log-jams,  and  oyerhangmg 
rocky  banks.  It  never  Uves  far  from  the  water,  and  in  summer- 
time never  goes  far  overland,  but  in  winter  «tshab.t  change, 
somewhat.  Then  "it  frequents  rap.ds  and  falls  to  have  the 
Xntage  of  open  water;  and  when  its  "-'  ^-^J^^^^^^ 
frozen  over,  it  will  travel  to  a  great  d'''"""^^*''^"^*^  *^' JT 
in  search  of  a  rapid  that  has  resisted  the  severity  of  the 

weather.'"     (Richardson.) 

All  trappers  agree  that  the  Canada  Otter  is  a  wide-ranging 
animal.  The  evidence  goes  to  show  that  its  habits  bear  a  close 
resemblance  to  those  of  its  British  congener,  and  is  this  Utter 
has  been  closely  studied  by  many  naturalists,  it  may  well  fur- 

""'  ircTarB'S  it  is  well  known  to  be  a  far  traveller. 
T  W  Proger,  of  Cardiff,  writes  me:    "  I  have  known  one  to 
go  5  or  6  miles  overland  in  a  single  night  to  a  stream  that 
promised  good  fishing.    An  Otter  will  range  f^^  ^5  miles  ^ 
and  down  a  r>en  river;  and  the  scarcer  the  fish  the  farther  he 

"^^^  Mmiam  gives'  a  number  of  illustrations  which  tend  to 
show  thai  each  Otter  in  the  Adirondacks  has  a  certa'n  route 
or  range  that  is  his  own  little  kingdom.  Up  this  river  to  that 
branch  along  that  to  the  swamp,  then  across  over  the  divide 
and  down  some  rill  to  another  river,  along  which  •»  continues 
till  another  landmark,  or  possibly  owner-mark  of  a  rival 
warns  him  that  here  he  must  turn  and  cross  by  that  pond  or 
the  old  familiar  rapid,  to  the  pomt  of  begmning^  This 
may  take  him  two  weeks  to  cover,  and  may  be  50  miles  in 

^'"^Kennicott  credits'  the  Otter  with  following  not  merely  a 
general  course,  but  an  exact  pathway.  He  says:  In  M  nne- 
sota,  I  observed  across  a  narrow  isthmus  separating  t^^  »^kes 
a  well-worn  path,  which  had  evidently  been  formed  by  Otter, 


» F.  B.  A.,  i8j9.  I.  P-  57- 
«  Quad.  111.,  1859,  P  a47- 


•  Mam.  Adir.,  1884,  p.  88 


The  Canada  Otter 


8S1 


and  they  seem  generally  to  follow  beaten  paths  when  moving  abun- 
on  land."  «>a«<^« 

Possibly  each  individual  has  more  than  one  of  these  routes. 

In  Manitoba,  the  Otter  is  becoming  very  scarce;  the 
high  value  of  its  fur  has  told  hard  against  its  numbers.  In 
the  palmy  days  at  the  beginning  of  last  century,  Henry  col- 
I  f-ted  from  loo  to  300  skins  each  year  on  Red  River.  The 
pi      nt  output  of  the  region  is  n^uch  smaller. 

What,  then,  should  be  considered  a  fair  population  of 
Otter?  In  Essex,  Eng.  during  the  fall  of  1904,  I  am  told 
that  50  Otters  were  killed,  though  no  one  but  the  Otter 
hunters  suspected  their  presence.  As  this  50  was  far  from 
exterminating  them,  there  were  probably  at  least  100  Otters  in 
Essex,  or  one  to  each  16  square  miles,  and  Great  Britain,  in 
like  ratio,  would  show  a  total  of  10,000  Otters.  This  is  the 
reverse  of  a  high  rate  of  population.  In  Manitoba,  they  were 
very  common  at  one  time,  as  already  noted,  and  I  think  it  safe 
to  say  that  in  the  primitive  days  there  was  an  Otter  for  every 
5  or  6  square  miles,  or  at  the  rate  of  3  pairs  to  the  township. 
At  present  I  doubt  that  there  are  300  pairs  left  in  the  Province. 

Like  the  rest  of  the  family,  the  Otter  is  neither  sociable  sckha- 
nor  gregarious.    The  3  or  4  that  arc  often  seen  together  in  I  ,i  ""^ 
summer  are  the  mother  and  family.     In  their  curious  sport  of 
sliding  down  hill,  we  possibly  may  find  an  exception  to  this 
rule,  although  some  observers  consider  that  the  game  is  strictly 
an  affair  of  the  family  or  of  mates. 

The  species  rnnkes  a  variety  of  noises.  It  utters  a  loud  sounds. 
sniffing  that  sounds  like  clearing  its  nose  of  water,  and  it  ^^' 
growls  and  snarls  in  menace.  A  female  in  the  National  Zoo 
at  Washington,  obtained  in  northern  New  York,  often  emitted 
a  loud  birdy  chirp  to  express  enquiry,  desire,  or  hunger.  Another 
female  that  I  was  sketching  at  the  same  time  (April  28),  made 
a  low  chatter  or  querulous  grumble  that  seemed  to  express  the 
same  idea.    The  latter  was  from  Florida. 


J. 


^.-  m 


•i;*- 


ii 


MATING 


DEN 


GESTA- 
TION 


822         Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 

A  captive  Otter  kept  by  J.  K.  MacDonald,  of  Winnipeg, 
in  1886,  at  Be.simis  on  the  Gulf  of  St.  Lawrence,  used  to  utter 
such  a  piercing  whistle  that  my  informant  repeatedly  heard 
across  the  river  (a  mile  and  a  half  away),  as  plainly,  he  said,  as 
he  could  hear  a  man  whistle  if  in  the  same  room  with  him. 
He  knew  of  no  other  animal  sound  so  shrill,  save  the  scream  of 
the  eagle  or  the  loon. 

Most  observers  agree  that  the  species  pairs  and  that  the 
mating  season  is  towards  the  end  of  February. 

The  British  Otters  bred  in  captivity  by  A.  H.  Cocks  gave 
an  admirable  opportunity  for  observation.  The  female  showed 
that  she  was  willing  to  consider  a  proposal  of  marriage  by  leav- 
ing little  piles  of  well-mouthed  straw  here  and  there  in  the  cage. 
These,  as  with  the  Marten,  he  believes,  art  to  call  the  attention 
of  the  male.  In  a  state  of  nature  they  would  be  left  at  convenient 
spots  along  the  banks  of  the  river  or  other  main  line  of  travel. 

The  male  showed  none  of  the  savage  ferocity  of  the  male 
Marten.     His  behaviour,  in  general,  was  irreproachable. 

"It  digs  a  burrow  on  the  bank  at  the  edge  of  the  stream 
or  'ake,  with  the  entrance  under  water,  like  that  of  a  Musk- 
rat.  Its  burrow  is  not  so  extensive,  however,  as  that  of  the 
latter  animal,  and  it  never  constructs  a  house  of  any  kind.  In 
a  capacious  chamber  in  its  burrow,  it  forms  a  large  soft  nest 
of  sticks,  leaves,  and  grass;  though  sometimes  it  has  been 
observed  to  take  up  its  quarters  in  the  bottom  of  a  standing 
hollow  tree  or  in  a  cavity  in  a  fallen  one.'"     (Kenntcott.) 

The  British  Otter  is  known  to  have  a  kitchen-midden,  or 
garbage  hole,  near  the  den  door,  bi't  this  admirable  sanitary 
arrangement  has  not  yet  been  observed  in  our  own  species. 

The  gestation  of  the  British  species  was  ascertained  by 
A.  H.  Cocks  to  be  61  days.  No  doubt  the  period  will  be 
found  about  the  same  in  canadensis. 

•  Quad.  HI.,  1859,  p.  247- 


k 


mt 


The  Canada  Otter 


82S 


The  young  are  born  in  mid-April,  or  sometimes  as  late  young 
as  May  i.  They  usually  number  i  to  3,  but  a  female  taken  at 
Brokenhead  and  dissected  by  W.  R.  Hine  contained  5  embry- 
onic young.  These  were  the  size  of  a  small  Striped-gopher, 
and  must  have  been  near  full  time,  as  it  was  late  in  April.  At 
birth  and  for  some  weeks  afterwards  their  eyes  are  closed. 
Their  colour  is  said  to  be  very  dark  brown,  almost  black. 
Probably  they  are  not  weaned  till  four  months  old,  and  at  nine 
months  they  are  fully  adult.  But  one  brood  is  reared  each 
year. 

Much  discussion  has  taken  place  over  the  question  whether  train- 
or  not  animals  train  their  young.     It  seems  as  though  in  very  ¥ra  °^ 
ancient  forms  retaining  primitive  habits,  the  young  need  little  *°'™° 
or  no  instruction  from  parents.    Thus,  an  incubator  duck  will 
take  to  the  water  or  snap  at  a  fly  when  but  a  day  old.     On  the 
other  hand,  those  animals  with  highly  specialized  habits  are 
slow  to  learn,  and  need  some  sort  of  stimulus.    The  young 
hawk  or  Wea? el  speedily  learns  to  seize  a  bird,  but  the  young 
osprey  and  Otter  have  departed  further  from  the  ancient  way 
and  are  more  in  need  of  teaching.    Whether  this  be  conscious 
or  unconscious  on  the  part  of  the  parents  depends  on  our 
definition  of  these  terms. 

An  interesting  picture  of  their  nursery  life  has  been  given 
by  J.  G.  Millais,  who  studied  Otter  in  Canada  and  in  England, 
though,  unfortunately,  he  omits  the  dates  and  places  that  would 
have  added  so  much  to  the  value  of  his  remarks.  His  account, 
no  doubt,  refers  chiefly  to  the  British  Otter,  but  it  is  almost 
certain  to  be  found  applicable  in  the  main  to  our  own  species, 
when  fuller  observation  shall  have  enlightened  us  on  the  early 
history  of  the  young. 

"As  soon,"  he  says,*  "as  they  can  see,  the  mother  Otter 
takes  her  cubs  to  the  water  and  teaches  them  to  swim.  At 
first  they  are  said  to  be  very  reluctant  to  enter  the  water,  and 
as  a  preliminary  training,  she  often  makes  an  exit  hole  upon  the 
bank  above  her  holt,  where  she  allows  them  to  play  and  run 

•  Mam.  G.  B.  &  I.,  1905,  II,  pp.  19-ao. 


'I 


1 


824         Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 

about  for  a  few  days  before  enticing  them  to  mount  on  her  back 
and  embark  on  a  voyage  of  discovery.  For  the  first  few  days 
in  the  water  she  swims  with  them,  but  soon  dives  and  returns 
to  them  again  and  again,  until  she  has  induced  them  to  copy 
her  movements. 

"In  their  pieliminary  efforts  at  natation,  young  Otters 
are  just  as  frightened  as  they  can  be,  and  keep  querulously 
calling  for  their  mother  all  the  time  she  is  out  of  sight.  But  at 
first  she  does  not  upset  their  baby  natures,  and  only  vanishes 
for  a  few  minutes.  As  the  young  grow,  these  intervals  become 
longer  and  longer,  till  she  induces  them  to  follow  her  in  shallow 
water  or  in  a  still  lake.  I  once  had  the  good  fortune  to  see  an 
old  female  Otter  playing  with  her  thite  nearly  full-grown 
young  ones  and  evidently  teaching  them  to  dive. 

"She  teaches  them  to  dive  noiselessly,  to  circle  in  deep 
pools,  and  how  to  come  up  quietly  behind  sleeping  fish  or  drive 
them  into  holes  in  the  banks.  Then  they  are  taught  to  stir  the 
mud  with  their  pads,  or  turn  over  stones  for  hidden  miller's- 
thumbs,  and  bury  their  heads  in  the  mud  after  eels,  or  how  to 
corner  the  darting  salmon. 

"That  the  swimming  powers  and  the  hunting  of  fish  are 
acquired  habits  is  shown  by  the  fact  that  young  Otters  kept 
tame  and  allowed  to  run  loose  are  almost  full  grown  before  they 
will  take  to  the  water;  they  grow  up  with  Stoat-like  habits,  i.  e., 
hunting  for  their  food  on  land." 

A.  H.  Cocks  says'  of  those  (British)  he  bred  in  confine- 
ment that  the  young  were  blind  until  about  35  days  old  and 
entered  the  water  of  their  own  accord  on  the  58th  day. 
He  gives  a  suggestive  account  of  the  mother's  efforts  to  make 
them  eat  two  small  fish,  some  four  days  later, "  taking  first 
one  f-sh,  then  the  other,  then  both  together  in  her  mouth,  and 
moving  them  about  close  in  front  of  the  cubs  ^o  attn  ct  their 
attention,  at  the  same  time  uttering  a  peculiar  v.  h-ne  or  growl." 

SUMMER  During  the  summer,  the  Otter  family,  mother  and  young, 

may  be  seen  travelling  and  hunting  together. 

'  Zoologist,  i88a,  p.  203. 


iin 


mmm 


The  Canada  Otter 


825 


A  glimpse  of  their  life  at  this  time  was  secured  by  Bert  A. 
Dobson,  of  the  Adirondacks. 

One  year,  1900,  in  early  June,  while  fishing  on  Pea  vine 
Creek  (Cranberry  Lake),  he  saw  a  female  Otter  and  two  kits, 
one-third  grown.  She  uttered  a  loud  chirruping  and,  dashing 
down  the  creek,  which  was  not  deep  enough  for  swimming, 
she  led  the  young  off,  chirruping  and  clucking  to  them  like 
a  hen. 

In  Algoma,  the  young  are  seen  with  the  mother  in  June, 
July,  August,  September,  October,  November,  and  December, 
but  usually  only  one  is  near.  Linklater,  my  chief  informant 
in  that  region,  has  known  the  mother  and  3  young  to  be 
killed  at  r  le  shot,  in  September. 

It  is  always  important  to  know  the  relation  that  the  father  father 
bears  to  the  family.    Is  he  merely  a  selfish  progenitor,  con- 
cerned about  his  partner  or  partners  only  in  the  mating  season  ? 
Or  does  he  faithfully  play  the  part  of  a  helpmate  and  join  with 
the  mother  in  caring  for  the  young. 

It  is  impossible  to  decide  for  the  Otter.  Most  observers 
think  that  the  species  pairs,  that  is  to  say,  is  not  polygamous, 
but  that  the  bond  is  broken  with  the  waning  of  the  honey- 
moon. Miles  Spencer  expressly  says'  that,  about  Hudson 
Bay,  the  female  gets  no  assistance  from  the  male  while  rearing 
the  young.  Other  field  naturalists  think  that  the  male  does 
sometimes  join  in  caring  for  his  offspring.  J.  K.  MacDonald, 
of  Winnipeg,  after  many  years  among  the  Hudson's  Bay  Com- 
pany's Posts,  writes  me: 

"I  do  not  think  the  male  is  ever  far  away  from  his  hole 
or  family.  The  fact  that  the  female  is  seen  with  the  young 
more  often  than  the  male,  I  think,  simply  carries  out  the  natural 
law  of  progeny  being  more  directly  under  the  care  of  the  female, 
while  the  male  roams  about,  but  never  is  far  away.  In  the 
cases  cited  of  females  only  being  seen,  there  is  nothing  to  dis- 
prove that  the  males,  though  not  visible  to  the  seer,  may  have 
been  within  a  few  yards  of  him." 

•  Low  Expl.  James  Bay,  Can.  Geol.  Surv.,  1888,  Pt.  J,  App.  Ill,  p.  77  J. 


826 


Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 


HABITS 


SWIM- 
MING 


On  September  27,  1905,  George  Crawford,  the  Mattawa 
guide,  came  to  my  camp  at  a  place  40  miles  north-east  of  Mat- 
tawa, and  told  of  4  Otter  ibat  he  had  watched  the  day  before 
on  one  of  the  small  lakes  near  by.  They  were  2  old  ones  and 
2  young  ones.  He  was  quite  sure  that  2  were  fully  grown. 
Again,  in  October,  1904,  Archie  Miller  saw  2  adults  and  5 
young  together  at  Blue  Lake,  Quebec.  This  looks  as  though 
the  father  did  sometimes  accompany  the  family. 

Nelson,  in  his  "Natural  Histor/  of  Alaska,"'  also  says: 
"Toward  the  end  of  the  winter  they  frequently  make  a  burrow 
in  a  large  snow-drift,  and  sometimes  a  party  of  5  or  6  will  be 
found  occupying  the  place.  Such  parties  usually  consist  of 
the  2  old  ones  and  the  last  season's  young." 

Thus  there  is  some  evidence  that  the  male  Otter  does  not 
entirely  neglect  the  duties  of  paternity,  though  there  can  be  no 
doubt  that  the  mother  has  the  heavier  burden  and  sometimes 
bears  it  alone.  The  young  continue  in  her  care  until  the  winter; 
probably  the  bond  is  broken  by  the  coming  on  of  the  new  mat- 
ing season  in  Febriiary. 

Like  most  of  the  family,  this  animal  is  chiefly  nocturnal 
in  habits,  but  can  very  often  be  seen  hunting  in  broad  day- 
light. It  resembles  its  kindred  also  in  its  tireless  activity. 
I  do  not  think  I  ever  saw  an  Otter  lying  still.  The  nearest  to 
it  are  those  that  are  busy  feeding.  When  they  rest  I  do  not 
know. 

"  It  is  eminently  aquatic,  more  perfectly  so  than  the  Bea- 
ver, and  its  whole  form  is  admirably  adapted  to  a  life  in  the 
water.  The  great  weight  of  its  bones,  which  would  make  it 
more  clumsy  on  land,  enables  it  to  dive  and  swim  under  water 
with  ease.""    So  says  Kennicott. 

In  like  strain  also,  the  Chief  Mittigwab,  of  Mattawa.  He 
has  several  times  tried  to  overtake  the  Otter  while  they  were 
swimming  in  the  open  lake.  Though  paddling  his  best,  about 
six  miles  an  hour,  he  could  not  lessen  the  distance  between. 
They  swam  like  leeches,  rolling  over  and  under.     He  con- 

•  1887,  p.  350.  "  Quad.  lU.,  1859,  p.  947- 


L 


tfMk 


DHBiill 


The  Canada  Otter 


887 


l'>  I 


siders  that  there  is  no  creature  so  quick  in  the  water  as  an 
Otter,  except,  perhaps,  a  loon.  He  tells  me  further  that  on 
September  17,  he  saw  a  young  one  and  its  mother  capture  a 
large  speckled  trout  each,  in  Magnisipi  River,  Quebec,  and,  Uke 
ail  who  have  seen  the  Otter  afloat,  he  gives  enthusiastic  ex- 
pression to  his  admiration  of  its  powers.  It  darts  and  turns, 
diving  or  floating,  with  speed  that  none  of  the  river  tribes  can 
excel.  Not  only  the  glancing  trout,  but  also  the  lightning 
swift  salmon,  are  at  its  mercy.  These  it  meets  fairly  and 
squarely  in  their  chosen  grounds,  the  clearest,  coolest  swirls 
and  deeps,  or  the  open  flood,  and,  rejoicing  in  a  worthy  foe, 
it  beats  them  at  their  own  game,  and  glories,  we  have  excellent 
reason  for  believing,  not  less  in  the  noble  catch  than  in  the 
noble  sport. 

As  well  as  quick,  it  is  long-winded.  A  tame  one  belong- 
ing to  "Antler"  could  remain  under  water  for  three  or  four 
minutes."  Merriam  says"  that  in  this  respect  its  abilities 
almost  equal  those  of  a  loon,  and  he  has  known  an  Otter  to 
swim  nearly  a  quarter  of  a  mile  without  showing  its  head 
above  the  surface. 

With  such  aquatic  powers  at  command  and  with  a  keen 
sense  of  locality,  it  is  easy  to  believe  these  hunters  who  maintain 
that  the  Otter  can  live  for  days  under  the  ice  of  a  lake,  getting 
its  breath  at  the  cracks  along  shore. 

On  the  land,  though  less  at  home,  it  is  far  from  being  run- 
helpless.    All  the  records  show  that  in  snow  time  it  travels 
great  distances  across  country,  and  can  go  so  fast  that  it  takes 
a  swift-footed  man  to  overtake  it. 

The  marvellous  power  of  this  species  to  propel  itself  on 
toboggan  wise  over  the  snow  is  something  that  I  was  deeply  ^^°^ 
impressed  with  when  a  child,  in  Toronto,  about  1873. 

A  citizen  had  a  tame  Otter  that  I  was  privileged  to  watr' 
once  or  twice.    I  thought  it  the  most  beautiful  creature  I  h..J 
ever  seen,  as  it  gambolled  and  dodged  about  the  room  in  a 
spirit  of  good-natured  frolic.     It  was  entirely  without  the 
sullen  ferocity  of  the  Weasels,  and  when  it  was  allowed  to  go 

"  Forest  and  Stream,  December  ri,  1879.  "  Mam.  Adir.,  1884,  p.  87. 


'/ 


^^1 


828 


MiiMi 


The  Canada  Otter 


829 


outdoors  it  rolled  and  tumbled  in  a  snow-drift  with  evident 
delight.  Sometimes  it  would  run  and  slide  on  its  breast  with 
all  its  legs  set  backwards.  Its  progress  at  these  times  was 
singular,  and  continued  for  much  longer  than  one  might  expect 
from  the  very  slight  push  it  began  with.  It  seemed  as  though 
the  muscles  of  the  breast  and  belly  were  in  some  way  helping 
it  on,  possibly  the  tail  also  aided  with  its  sculling  motion. 

Richardson,  the  great  authority  on  our  northern  animals, 
says,"  concerning  its  winter  travel  overland  in  search  of  open 
water:  "If  seen  and  pursued  by  hunters  on  these  journeys,  it 
will  throw  itself  forward  on  its  belly  and  slide  through  the 
snow  for  several  yards,  leaving  a  deep  furrow  behind  it.  This 
movement  is  repeated  with  so  much  rapidity  that  even  a  swift 
runner  on  snow-shoes  has  much  trouble  in  overtaking  it.  It 
also  doubles  on  its  track  with  much  cunning  and  dives  under 
the  snow  to  elude  its  pursuers." 

These  very  manoeuvres  were  described  to  me  by  Linklater. 
He  has  often  seen  Otter  sliding  on  the  level  snow,  and  once 
when  he  came  on  one  in  the  woods  it  dived  into  the  dn"  s, 
which  were  deep,  and  came  up  40  or  50  feet  away.  By  doing 
this  again  and  again  it  dodged  both  the  man  and  the  dog, 
although  the  latter  was  a  good  one  and  the  former  on  snow- 
shoes,  till  it  reached  a  small  lake;  unfortunately  for  the  Otter, 
this  was  frozen  over,  and  on  the  ice  the  hunter  killed  it  with 
a  small  club.  It  was  a  male  Otter,  and  the  time  about  the 
first  of  December. 

"On  the  ice  [says  Merriam]"  they  proceed  by  a  series  of 
what  small  boys  called  'a  run  and  a  slide,'  that  is,  they  make 
several  jumps  and  then  slide  ahead,  flat  on  their  bellies  as  far 
as  their  impetus  and  the  smoothness  of  the  ice  permits,  and 
then  do  the  same  thing  over  again,  and  so  on."  I  may  add 
that  this  seems  to  be  their  regular  mode  of  progression,  whether 
on  land  or  water,  ice  or  snow. 

This  method  of  travel  brings  us  to  a  remarkable  habit  for  o^j^ 
which  the  Otter  is  celebrated.    All  hunters  and  naturalists  in 
Eastern  America  record  its  singular  amusement  of  coasting  or 

"  F.  B.  A.,  1829, 1,  pp.  S7-8.  "  Mwn.  Adir,  1884,  p.  89. 


imH 


880         Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 


h 


w 


» 


tobogganing  down  a  steep  hill,  preferably  into  the  water,  to 
remount  at  once  and  repeat  the  performance  again  and  again, 
in  companj',  perhaps,  with  its  mate  or  young. 

It  is  delightful  proof  of  growth  and  uplift  when  we  find 
an  adult  animal  setting  aside  a  portion  of  its  time  and  effort 
for  amusement,  and  especially  for  social  amusement.  A  large 
number  of  the  noblest  animals  thus  relax  from  sordid  life  and 
pursue  amusement  with  time  and  appliances  after  a  fashion 
that  finds  its  highest  development  in  man.  This  is  what  the 
Otter  is  credited  with  doing,  but  there  are  naturalists  who  do 
not  consider  it  proven.    Therefore  I  give  the  evidence  in  full. 

"The  Otter  is  very  fond  of  play,  and  one  of  their  favourite 
pastimes  is  to  get  on  a  high  ridge  of  snow,  bend  their  fore- 
feet backward,  and  slide  down  the  side  of  it,  sometimes  to  the 
distance  of  twenty  yards."'*     {Hearne.) 

"Their  favourite  pastime  is  sliding,  and  for  this  purpose  in 
winter  the  highest  ridge  of  snow  is  selected,  to  the  top  of  which 
the  Otters  scramble,  where,  lying  on  the  belly  with  the  fore- 
feet bent  backwards,  they  give  themselves  an  impulse  with  their 
hind-legs  and  swiftly  glide  head-foremost  down  the  declivity, 
sometimes  for  the  distance  of  twenty  yards.""     (Godman.) 

This  looks  like  a  passage  borrowed  from  Hearne,  but  he 
adds,  "This  sport  they  continue,  apparently  w.fh  the  keenest 
enjoyment,  until  fatigue  or  hunger  induces  them  to  desist." 

"  In  the  summer  this  amusement  is  obtained  by  selecting  a 
spot  where  the  river  bank  is  sloping,  has  a  clayey  soil,  and  the 
water  at  its  base  is  of  a  comfortable  depth.  The  Otters  then 
remove  from  the  surface,  for  the  breadth  of  several  feet,  the 
sticks,  roots,  stones,  and  other  obstructions,  and  render  the 
surface  as  level  as  possible.  They  climb  up  the  bank  at  a  less 
precipitous  spot  and,  starting  from  the  top,  slip  with  velocity 
over  the  inclining  ground  and  plump  into  the  wat^r  to  a  depth 
proportioned  to  their  weight  and  rapidity  of  motion.  After  a 
few  slides  and  plunges  the  surface  of  the  clay  becomes  very 
smooth  and  slippery,  and  the  rapid  succession  of  the  sliders 
shows  how  much  these  animals  are  delighted  by  the  game,  as 

"Journey,  179a,  p.  376.  "Am.  Nat.  Hist.,  1826,  Vol.  I,  pp.  225-6. 


^ii 


mam 


MlHiWfaiiMriMI 


The  Canada  Otter 


8S1 


well  as  how  capable  they  are  of  performing  actions  which  have 
no  other  object  than  that  of  pleasure  or  diversion." 

"This  statement,"  say  Audubon  and  Bachman,"  "is  con- 
firmed by  *  ♦  *  recent  writers  who  have  given  the  history  of 
this  species,  and  is  in  accordance  within  our  own  personal 
observations. 

"The  Otters  ascend  a  bank  suitable  for  their  diversion, 
and  sometimes  where  it  is  very  steep,  so  that  they  are  obliged 
to  make  quite  an  effort  to  gain  the  top;  they  slide  down  in 
rapid  succession  where  there  are  many  at  a  sliding  place.  On 
one  occasion  we  were  resting  ourselves  on  the  bank  of  Canoe 
Creek,  a  small  stream  near  Henderson,  which  empties  into  the 
Ohio,  when  a  pair  of  Otters  made  their  appearance  and,  not 
observing  our  proximity,  began  to  enjoy  their  sliding  pastime. 
They  glided  down  the  soap-like  muddy  surface  of  the  slide 
with  the  rapidity  of  an  arrow  from  a  bow,  and  we  counted 
each  one  making  22  slides  before  we  disturbed  their  sportive 
occupation. 

"This  habit  of  the  Otter  of  sliding  down  from  elevated  in  all 

.  LATI- 

places  to  the  borders  of  streams  is  not  confined  to  cold  countries,  tudes 
or  to  slides  on  the  snow  or  ice,  but  is  pursued  in  the  Southern 
States,  where  the  earth  is  seldom  covered  with  snow,  or  the 
waters  frozen  over.  Along  the  reserve  dams  of  the  rice-fields 
of  Carolina  and  Georgia  these  slides  are  very  common.  From 
the  fact  that  this  occurs  in  most  cases  during  the  winter,  about 
the  period  of  the  rutting  season,  we  are  inclined  to  the  belief 
that  this  propensity  may  be  traced  to  those  instincts  which  lead 
the  sexes  to  their  periodical  associations." 

Kennicott  follows  with  these  remarks."  "It  climbs  to 
the  top  of  some  steep  bank,  made  slippery  by  the  mud  and 
water  from  its  own  body,  or,  in  winter,  by  snow  and  ice,  and, 
lying  down,  with  its  fore-feet  bent  under,  slides  headlong  to  the 
bottom.  Trappers  inform  me  that  they  have  often  seen  the 
Otter  thus  engaged  for  an  hour  or  more,  scrambling  eagerly 
to  the  top  again  after  each  descent,  and  greatly  enjoying  the 
sport.     By  using  their  knowledge  of  this  peculiarity,  the  hunters 

"  Q.  N.  A.,  184%  Vol.  n,  p.  8.  "  Quad.  lU.,  1859,  pp.  347-8. 


^jsa 


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d   A. 


r/G/it 

J-  hi-nci 

I 


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front 


Otttr 


Fio.  >o3 — Qua  Iracki,  trom  ca(t<l  spcdmoi  In  Wuhinftoo  Zoa 
832 


The  Canada  Otter 


8SS 


sometimes  succeed  '"^  shooting  or  trapping  the  Otter  at  its 
sliding  place,  whici.   ..uy  be  easily  recognized." 

Similar  testimony  is  supplied  by  my  Adirondack  guide, 
Bert  A.  Dobson. 

One  day  in  September,  he  was  hunting  Deer  near  Cran- 
berry Lake,  N.  Y.,  and  heard  a  loud  splashing.  On  crawhng 
near  he  saw  3  Otter  (mother  and  2  young)  shooting  down  a 
slide  inio  the  water.  They  did  it  two  or  three  times  each 
before  they  smelt  him  and  dashed  into  a  hole. 

Wherever  I  seek  in  Eastern  America  I  find  corroboration 
of  this.  Archie  Miller,  guide,  from  Mattawa,  says  that  he  has 
seen  hundreds  of  these  slides,  and,  no  later  than  October,  1904, 
he  watched  a  family  of  Otters  at  their  slide  at  Blue  Lake,  40 
miles  north-east  of  Mattawa.  These  were  2  old  and  5  young 
ones.  They  slid  down,  rapidly  climbing  up  again  to  slide 
down  as  before,  for  a  full  hour. 

They  are  far  from  restricting  this  sport  to  snow  time, 
however. 

Kennicott  says  further:    "This  curious  habit  seems  to  be  sudeat 
indulged  in  by  the  Otter  at  all  times,  when  a  suitable  place  can  seasons 
be  found,  though  more  in  the  love  season  [late  February]  than 
any  other." 

Chief  Mittigwab,  after  spending  a  lifetime  in  Otter 
country  and  seeing  many  Otter,  says  that  they  slide  all  the  year 
round,  for  amusement;  usually,  but  not  always,  at  special 
places,  most  in  the  snow,  during  spring  and  fall.  Archie 
Miller  corroborates  this  in  every  detail. 

At  Swan  Lake,  Man.,  James  M.  Macoun  saw  slides  that 
were  in  use  during  August,  and  J.  G.  Millais  says  of  these 
'chutes'"  that  he  found  numerous  in  Newfoundland,  where  he 
counted  no  fewer  than  6  on  one  quiet  brook  flowing  into  St. 
John's  Lake  at  the  head  of  the  Terra  Nova  River: 

"All  the  slides  I  have  examined  in  Newfoundland  had 
been  freshly  used  and  were  polished  smooth,  with  the  grass  and 
moss  all  worn  away,  showing  that  they  had  been  in  constant 
use  aP  the  summer." 

'•Mam.  G.  B.  &  I.,  1905,  Vol.  II,  p.  ai. 


■' 


! 


834 


Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 


I 
I 


h 


rt 


M 


Thus  each  new  scrap  of  testimony  shows  the  sport  fartlier 
removed  from  the  influence  of  sex  and  season.  And  sport  the 
exercise  is — just  as  surely  as  is  that  of  the  small  boy  who  drags 
his  sled  to  the  top  of  a  hill  for  the  pleasure  of  shooting  down 
again,  of  having  the  delicious  sensation  of  speed  without  effort. 
And  whether  the  Otter  slides  from  the  top  of  a  mere  snow- 
drift into  the  adjoining  hollow,  or  down  a  muddy  bank  into  a 
stream,  or,  best  of  all,  down  a  long  icy  hill,  to  plunge  into  deep 
cool  water  below,  it  is  evidently  done  ♦or  sport,  for  the  joy  of 
feeling  itself  Hying  through  space  without  labour  and  without 
violence,  and  with  the  very  same  exhilaration  that  such  a  thing 
would  give  to  mankind.  To  this  the  creature  fails  not  to  add 
the  crowning  charms  of  good  company  and  of  friendly  rivaliy, 
for,  so  far  as  I  can  learn,  no  one  has  ever  yet  seen  an  Otter 
enjoying  its  slide  alone. 

It  is  the  rule  for  young  animals  to  play  together,  and  occa- 
sionally the  full-grown  will  indulge  in  a  good-natured  sham 
fight  or  a  chase,  for  sport,  but  this  is  the  only  case  I  know 
of  among  American  quadrupeds  where  the  entire  race,  young 
and  old,  unite  to  keep  up  an  institution  that  is  not  connected 
in  any  way  with  the  instincts  of  feeding,  fighting,  or  multiply- 
ing, but  is  simply  maintained  as  an  amusement. 

Thus  the  case  of  the  Otter  in  Eastern  America  has  been 
fully  set  forth,  but  it  is  a  remarkable  fact  that  Sir  John  Richard- 
son, who  lived  for  years'  in  the  Great  Lone  Land,  says  not  a 
word  about  the  Otter's  toboggan  slides,  though  he  describes 
its  habits  at  length;  Kearnv.'s  remarks  I  have  quoted,  but  I  can 
find  no  other  hunter  west  of  Lake  Nipissing  who  has  ever  seen 
an  Otter  sliding  for  amusement,  while  I  find  many  reliable 
naturalists  of  the  North-west,  notabiy  Roderick  MacFarlane, 
who  have  but  little  faith  in  it. 


DRY 
WAL- 
LOWS 


After  remarking  on  numerous  examples  of  O^ter  slides  in 
the  Adirondacks,  Dr.  Merriam  writes'" also  "of  their  wallowing 
places,  which  are  either  level  beds  or  slight  depressions  in 

■°  Mam.  Adir.,  1884,  p.  89. 


n 


mm 


The  Canada  Otter 


K3.7 


which  they  play  and  roll.  May's  Lake,  a  small  and  secluded 
body  of  water  abounding  in  trout,  is  fairly  surrounded  by 
them." 

These  I  have  never  seen,  nor  do  I  find  them  commented 
on  by  other  naturalists. 

The  species  is  no  exception  to  the  rule  that  no  animal  can  climb 
reach  the  highest  development  in  more  than  one  sphere.     It  '^" 
is  a  king  in  aquatics,  but  on  land  is  the  least  active  of  the  P  amily 
except  the  Sea-otter,  and  I  read  with  surprise  J.  G.  Millais's 
statement  that  the  Canada  Otter  commonly  climbs  trees." 

This  animal  is  pre-eminently  a  fish  eater,  yet  at  times  food 
varies  its  diet  in  many  ways,  feeding  on  frogs,  crayfish,  and 
shell-fish.  "Crayfish,  indeed,"  says  Kennicott,"  "sometimes 
form  a  considerable  portion  of  its  food,  being  taken  in  the  water 
like  fish.  I  have  observed  this  to  be  the  case  when  examining 
its  excrement  in  Minnesota.  *  *  *  I  have  reason  to  suppose 
that  it  sometimes  devours  the  Muskrats,  in  the  house  of  which 
it  is  occasionally  found  in  the  Western  prairie  lakes  and 
marshes.  It  would  probably  eat  any  flesh  when  impelled  by 
hunger,  but  it  has  never  been  known  to  devour  vegetables  of 
any  kind  when  in  a  state  of  nature." 

Merriam  corroborates  the  crayfish  item,  stating  that:" 
"The  numbers  of  crayfish  {Cambarus)  that  the  Otter  destroys 
in  the  course  of  a  summer  is  almost  incredible.  The  Otter 
'sign'  that  one  finds  so  .abundantly  about  our  lakes  and 
streams,  on  rocks  and  logs,  often  consist  wholly  of  fragments  of 
the  chitinous  cxoskeleton  of  the  Crustacean.  At  other  times 
fish-bones  are  mingled  with  the  broken  crayfish  shells.  *  *  * 
When  unable  to  procure  these  in  sufficient  quantity,  it  devours 
frogs,  and  is  said  to  depopulate  the  poultry  yard,  and  even 
prey  upon  lambs.  *  ♦  *  In  confinement  it  will  eat  meat  and 
is  said  to  prefer  it  boiled."  Richardson  states"  that:  "In  the 
spring  of  1826,  at  Great  Bear  Lake,  the  Otters  frequently 


► 


1 


"  Mam.  G.  B.  &  I.,  Vol.  n,  1905,  p.  i3. 
*•  Mam.  Adir.,  1884,  p.  88. 


•  Quad.  III.,  1839,  p.  »47. 

•  F.  B.  A.,  i8j9,  p.  58. 


FISH  ITS 

FOOD 


MENTAL- 
ITY 


836         Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 

robbed  our  nets,  which  were  set  under  the  ice,  at  a  distance 
of  a  few  yards  from  open  water.  They  generally  carried  off 
the  heads  of  the  fish  and  left  the  bodies  sticking  in  the  nets." 

It  is  known  to  eat  wild  fowl,  and  doubtless,  when  pinched, 
will  relish  any  kind  of  animal  food.  All  of  these,  however, 
must  be  considered  mere  accidental  variations,  or  emergency 
rations,  on  its  real  bill  of  fare,  for  nine-tenths  at  least  of  its 
food  the  year  round  is  undoubtedly  fish,  the  finest  and  freshest 
at  that;  not  mud-cats,  swinish  carp,  or  logy  suckers,  but  the 
sweetest  and  swiftest  of  all— the  superb  trout  and  the  regal 
salmon. 

The  Otter  is  the  fisherman  par  excellence;  it  is  the  success- 
ful fisherman,  and  therefore  it  is  the  hated  of  all  other  fishermen. 

Mentally  this  animal  is  at  the  head  of  its  group.  'The 
most  intelligent  of  the  Family,'  is  the  verdict  of  all  who  have 
studied  all  the  Weasels,  for  the  Otter  is  nothing  but  a  big 
water  Weasel.  "  From  the  nature  of  its  habits  and  its  sagac- 
ity," says  Merriam,"  "  it  is  likely  to  remain  after  most  of  the 
other  representatives  ci  the  Mustelidae  have  been  exterminated." 

I  wish  it  were  so,  and  yet  experience  in  Manitoba  leads  one 
to  believe  otherwise.  The  Skunk,  the  Mink,  and  the  Ermine 
seem  as  abundant  as  ever,  but  the  Otter  is  becoming  a  rarity. 


■'% 


i. 


PLAYFUL- 
NESS 


At  all  ages  Otters  are  playful  animals.  They  chase  each 
other  in  tireless  games  of  tag,  and  sport  and  roll  in  the  water 
like  porpoises.  If  caught  young  they  are  readily  reared  and 
become  the  most  fascinating  of  pets.  It  has  been  my  luck  to 
meet  with  two  or  three  tame  Otters,  and  in  each  case  I  was 
left  with  a  profound  admiration  for  the  grace  and  playfulness 
of  this  exquisitely  beautiful  creature.  On  watching  a  gambol- 
ling Fox  cub,  a  Fawn,  an  ocelot,  a  Marten,  or  even  a  well- 
furred  pet  Skunk,  one  is  apt  to  be  carried  away  and  declare 
each  in  turn  the  most  beautiful  and  graceful  creature  ever  seen. 
But  when  all  are  gone  from  view,  when  nothing  but  the  dim 
impression  remains,  it  is  the  Otter  that  stands  out  pre-eminently 

"  Loc.  cit. 


mm 


i& 


^^ 


The  Canada  Otter 


837 


as  the  most  beautiful  and  engaging  of  all  elegant  pets.  There 
seems  no  end  to  its  fun,  its  energy,  its  drollery,  its  good-nature, 
and  its  postures  of  new  and  s-irprising  grace.  I  never  owned 
a  pet  Otter,  but  I  never  ,ct  fi:,\v  or.?  without  shamefully  in- 
fringing article  number  t  a  jf  the  Dccai-  gue. 

J.  K.  MacDonald  ri-es  me:  "  They  make  delightful 
pets.  A  tame  Otter  at  \  r-]^  ^;^c^ory,  Hudson  Bay,  in  1871, 
used  to  lie  about  the  Fort  among  the  dogs.  On  first  living 
among  them  several  of  them  tried  issue  with  him,  only  to  find 
that  he  left  souvenirs  o^  the  struggle  on  their  legs,  etc.  The 
remaining  dogs,  benefiting  by  the  experience  of  their  friends, 
made  no  further  attack  on  him,  and  so  he  moved  around  among 
them  quite  nonchalantly.  He  used  to  take  long  swims  in  the 
river,  both  to  enjoy  the  pleasure  of  swimming  and  get  some 
fresh  fish  of  his  own  killing.  He  always  returned  and  slept 
inside  the  Fort  pickets.  No  doubt,  at  the  mating  season,  he 
would  have  left  if  at  large.  This  we  were  not  permitted  to 
prove,  as  a  strange  Indian  arriving  close  to  the  Fort,  saw  what 
he  thought  was  a  wild  Otter,  and  so  he  shot  it." 

"  In  growing  old,  however,  they  are  apt  to  become  ugly, 
and  have  been  known  to  bite  those  who  attempt  to  play  with 
them."     {Merrlam.) 

The  Otter  is  a  valiant  beast.  During  its  overland  or  a 
oversnow  journey  in  search  of  open  water,  if  closely  pressed  "°'^" 
by  pursuit,  it  will  turn  on  any  assailant  and  defend  itself  with 
marvellous  courage  and  power.  Its  gifts  as  a  fighter  are  a^'ly 
seconded  by  its  protective  armour  of  fur,  hide,  and  fat,  and  it  is 
very  doubtful  whether  there  ever  lived  a  dog  that  could  conquer 
an  Otter  in  fair  single  fight. 

"At  all  times  and  all  occasions,  furthermore,  they  manifest 
an  insatiate  and  unaccountable  desire  to  break  the  peace  with 
any  dog  that  chances  to  cross  their  path. 

"If  the  misunderstanding  occurs  in  the  vicinity  of  the 
water,  as  it  commonly  does,  there  is  a  strong  tendency  for  the 
participants  to  drift  nearer  and  nearer  the  shore,  for  thither- 
wards the  Otter  artfully  draws  his  antagonist.     I  have  never 


il 


8S8 


Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 


I    I 


Us 


m 


V>\i 


witnessed  one  of  these  little  altercations,  but  am  told  that  a 
drowned  dog  is  generally  the  result."'*     {Merriam.) 

Otter  hunters  in  Europe  tell  me  that  such  is  the  power  of 
its  bite,  that  it  is  not  a  rare  thing  for  an  Otter  to  crush  a  hound's 
leg-bone  in  its  jaws. 

The  most  desperate  achievement  accredited  to  this  animal 
appears  in  Nelson's  "Alaska":" 

"An  Otter  [he  says]  was  one  of  the  chief  actors  in  a  strange 
accident  which  occurred  near  the  Yukon  mouth  during  my 
residence  in  the  north.  A  hunter  went  out  to  inspect  his  fish 
traps,  and,  failing  to  return  in  the  course  of  a  day  or  so,  his 
friends  began  to  look  for  him.  He  was  found  lying  dead  by 
the  side  of  a  small  lake  with  his  throat  torn  open  and  the  tail  of 
a  dead  Otter  firmly  grasped  in  both  hands.  One  of  the  Otter's 
feet  was  fast  in  a  steel  fox-trap,  and  it  was  supposed  that  on 
his  way  home  the  hunter  came  across  the  Otter  in  the  trap  and, 
having  no  weapon  with  him  and  being  a  powerful  young  man, 
he  tried  to  swing  the  Otter  over  his  head  and  kill  it  by  dashing  it 
against  the  grou  id,  but  when  in  mid-air  it  turned  suddenly  and 
caught  him  by  the  throat,  with  the  result  as  described." 


CAPT- 
URE 


;'  i  ■ 


This  fur-bearer  is  usually  taken  with  a  steel  trap  and  fish- 
head  bait,  but  traps  that  do  not  kill  are  cruel,  and  humanity 
would  force  all  trappers  back  to  the  old  deadfalls  of  a  hundred 
years  ago.  My  friend,  A.  W.  Dimock,  writes  me  thus  from 
Punta  Rassa,  Fla.: 

"  Last  year  (1905)  I  held  a  fiercely  struggling  Otter  crushed 
into  the  mud  with  a  forked  stick,  while  the  cruel  steel  trap  was 
taken  from  her  lacerated  leg  and  a  cage  placed  over  her.  Two 
days  later  she  ate  her  new-born  pups,  and  in  two  days  more, 
despite  every  attention,  she  died  of  grief  and  pain.  Now  I 
would  make  the  use  of  a  steel  trap  a  penal  offence  and  wearing 
pelt  of  a  trapped  wild  creature  a  misdemeanour." 

In  some  parts  of  the  country  Otter  are  killed  by  taking  ad- 
vantage of  the  sliding  habit.    Having  found  the  slide,  the  hunter 

"  Mam.  Adir,  1804,  p.  90. 

"  Nat.  H'jt.  Alaska,  1887,  p.  850. 


■feflttiaHii* 


The  Canada  Otter 


839 


may  lurk  in  ambi  sh  for  the  tobogganing  party  and  shoot  one, 
or  perhaps  two,  before  they  can  escape  from  range. 

If  its  trail  is  discovered  in  the  winter  snow,  when  evidently 
the  creature  is  frozen  out  of  its  safe  refuge,  the  hunter  follows, 
and  within  a  mile  or  two  u  usually  gets  an  opportunity  to 
shoot  the  portaging  voyageur. 

The  fur  of  the  Otter  is  cased.  It  is  one  of  the  best,  hand- 
somest, and  most  durable  in  the  market.  No  matter  how  others 
fluctuate,  the  price  of  Otter  is  always  fairly  high.  The  Winni- 
peg market  quotations  for  March  26,  1904,  were:  Prime 
Otter,  ^6  to  5 1 2. 

At  the  London  annual  fur  sales,  held  at  Lampson's, 
March,  1906,  2,517  Otters  were  sold.  The  highest  price 
reached  was  210  shillings  (;5;50.4o)  each,  for  22  unusually  good 
black,  first-class  Labrador  skins.  The  run  of  first-class  dark 
skins  brought  from  100  shillings  (524)  to  150  shillings  ($36), 
and  with  60  shillings  ($14.40)  as  the  run  of  ordinary  dark 
Otter,  from  which,  according  to  size  and  colour,  they  graded 
down  as  low  as  10  shillings  ($2.40)  and  5  shillings  ($1.20). 

During  the  eight)'-<ive  years,  1821  to  1905  inclusive,  the 
Hudson's  Bay  Company  collected  890,901  skins  of  this  species, 
an  average  of  10,481  for  each  year.  The  lowest  was  3,795  in 
1829;  the  highest,  i8,ioo,  in  1830.  The  average  for  the  ten 
years,  1895  to  1905,  was  8,898. 

Poland's  lists  show  that  during  the  seventy-one  years,  1821 
to  1 89 1  inclusive,  444,372  skins  were  taken  by  the  other 
American  companies,  an  average  of  6,258  each  year.  So  that 
the  average  annual  catch  of  Otter  for  fur  is  about  17,000. 


FUR 


i 


MiHHiM 


;     f.  i 


SiZI 


COLOUS 


XXXVI. 

Common  Weasel,  Short-tailed  Weasel  or  Ermine  of 
the  Woods;  Bonaparte  Weasel;  Brown  Weasel. 

Putortus  cicognanii  (Bonaparte). 
(L.  Putorius,  see  ante;  cicognanii,  named  in  honor  of  Felice  Cicognani,  an  Italian.) 

Mustela  cicognanii  Bonaparte,  1838,  Iconogr.  Faun.  Ital.  I, 

fasc.  XXII,  p.  4. 
Putorius  cicognanii  Richardson,  1^39,  Zoology  of  Beechey's 

Voyage,  p.  10. 
Type  Locality.— North-eastern  North  America. 

French  Canadian,  VHermine;  le  Roselet;  la  Belette 

de  Bonaparte. 
Cree,  Saut.,  &  OjiB.,  Shing-gwus' . 
Chipewyan,  Tel-ky'-lay. 
Yankton  Sioux,  He-tong-ka-ska. 
Ogallala  Sioux,  He-tu-kah'-san. 

This  is  the  common  Weasel  about  barnyards  near  the 
woods  in  Manitoba.  At  a  short  distance,  in  summer  coat,  it 
looks  like  a  brown  Squirrel  with  a  white  throat  and  paws,  and 
a  very  small  tail;  it  is  mostly  seen  on  the  ground. 

In  addition  to  the  generic  characters  {Putorius,  see  p.  872) 
it  has  the  following: 

Length,  12  inches  (305  mm.);  tail,  4  inches  (102  mm.); 
hind-foot,  ij  inches  (38  mm.). 

The  female  may  be  one-fifth  or  even  one-fourth  smaller. 

General  colour  above,  dark  brown;  tip  third  of  tail  black; 
no  dark  spot  behind  corners  of  mouth;  under  parts,  including 
upper  lip,  chin,  throat  and  front  feet,  white,  sometimes  tinged 
with  yellow;  hind-feet,  pale  brownish-white. 

840 


MMfH 


Short-tailed  Weasel 


841 


V 


In  winter  it  becomes  the  Ermine;  it  is  now  pure  white 
with  a  yellowish  tinge  on  rump,  tail,  and  under  parts;  the 
black  tail  tip  continues  unchanged. 

The  change  from  brown  to  white  is,  of  course,  to  enable  change 
the  animal  to  live  and  hunt  in  the  snow  without  being  visible  colouk 
to  all  the  creatures  it  would  prey  on.  The  change  is  effected 
by  a  moult,  and,  in  Manitoba,  occurs  about  the  middle  of  Octo- 
ber each  year,  without  reference  to  the  weather  or  the  presence 
of  snow,  so  that  it  is  no  uncommon  thing  to  see  a  Weasel  of 
dazzling  whiteness  running  over  the  brown  prairie  or  in  the 
woods  still  carpeted  with  dead  leaves. 

The  yellow  tinge  is  believed  to  be  partly,  at  least,  external 
staining  from  the  smcll-glands  with  which  the  creature  is  so 
generously  outfitted. 

As  late  as  mid-April,  I  have  found  them  in  full  winter 
pelage.  Soon  after  this  they  appear  in  the  brown  and  white 
of  the  summer  coat. 


<  V 


The  following  races  are  recognized: 

cicognanii  Bonaparte,  the  typical  form. 

richardsoni  Bonaparte,  much  larger. 

alascensis  Merriam,  like  richardsoni,  but  whi^e  tips 

of  feet  more  extensive  and  interorbital  region 

very  much  broader. 

The  three  species  of  Weasels  found  in  Manitoba  may  be  thus  the 
distinguished  when  in  summer  pelage  (all  are  white  in  winter) :  ™*^* 

I  St.  The  Long-tailed  Weasel  {P.  longicauda),  the  size  of 
a  small  Mink,  with  tail  6  inches,  or  more,  in  length;  lower 
parts,  buff  or  pale  yellow. 

2nd.  The  Short-tailed  Weasel  (P.  cicognanii),  much 
smaller,  about  12  inches  long,  with  tail  about  4  inches  long, 
and  lower  parts  white. 

3rd.  The  Least  Weasel  {P.  rixosus),  still  smaller,  almost 
as  small  as  a  Mouse,  about  6  inches,  with  tail  i  inch  long, 
without  any  black  tip;  lower  parts,  white. 


KINDS 


Mi 


■  i  i 


■\ 


Ml 


MAP  45— RAHGE  OF  THE  WEASELS  FOUND   IK  CAHADA,  EJ   'LUSIVE  OF  THE  LONG-TAILED 

AND  LEAST  WEASEL  GROUP 

in  th.  »23fMT£mh*\^"'"""''  ""^  P"«^«°«l-    The  ra»g.  of  urCicu,  must  be  modified  i,        ^order,-and  that  of  cicognanii  i,  litlle  kuown 


Th*  foUowing  u»  entered : 

Ailoifia  clcatnanil  (Bonaparte)  with  3  racea, 

Putaritu  mlcroHt  Allen, 

PutoHfu  arcHcuM  Mcrriam  with  2  races. 


Piitorhu  nneianccnWi  Emmona  with  3  racaa. 
Putorfiu  AafJanimPreUa. 


842 


short-tailed  Weasel 


843 


!.<    'I 


There  is  another  from  which  it  should  be  carefully  dis- 
tinguished, that  is  the  New  York  Weasel,  or  Blacktailed  Weasel 
(P.  novehoracensis  Emmons),  familiar  to  many  in  Ontario,  In 
contrast,  these  are  the  points: 

cicognanii  has  tail  \  of  total  length;  terminal  J  of 
tail,  blac'' ;   under  parts,  pure  white  in  summer. 

noveboracensis  has  tail  \  of  total  length;  terminal  i 
of  tail,  black;  under  parts,  in  summer,  often  yel- 
low, and  a  brown  spot  back  of  the  mouth— some- 
times this  island  becomes  a  peninsula.  This  is 
about  \  larger  than  the  preceding.  For  range, 
see  dotted  line  on  map  No.  45. 

Life-history. 

The  range  of  this  Weasel  extends  in  the  great  coniferous  r.a.vge 
forest  from  the  Atlantic  to  the  Pacific,  thus  taking  in  all  of 
Manitoba  except  the  true  prairie  region. 

This  is  a  forest  animal,  found  chiefly  on  the  ground,  but  envi- 
capable  of  climbing,  when  it  must,  with  quickness  little  inferior  meot 
to  that  of  the  Squirrel.     Though  a  wood-dweller,  I  have  seen 
it  a  mile  from  cover  on  the  open  prairie,  where  it  seemed  very 
much  at  home  in  the  holes  of  the  Striped  Ground-squirrel 
(C  tridecemlineatus). 

The  habit  of  all  Weasels,  as  far  as  known,  is  to  quarter  home- 
themselves  on  a  good  cover  or  game  range,  killing  everything  ^^'^^ 
they  can  catch,  until  driven  out  by  a  stronger  one  or  till  their 
havoc  has  spoiled  the  hunting;  then  they  travel  on  in  search  of 
new  grounds.  They  will  go  a  mile  or  two  in  a  night,  and  ap- 
parently without  clear  intention.  If  they  find  a  barnyard,  or  a 
promising  place  of  any  kind,  they  remain  and  slaughter  as 
before.  If  they  be  killed,  the  place  may  continue  unweaselled 
for  months,  but  another  wandering  devil  is  likely  to  appear  and 
repeat  the  destruction  of  the  first. 

There  is,  no  doubt,  a  limit  to  the  wandering  of  the  Weasel, 
otherwise  each  species  would  be  continental  in  range,  but  I  do 


> ' 


Ki 


(1 


POPULA- 
TION 


844 


Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 


not  know  where  the  limit  is  drawn.  The  argument  of  analogy 
would  lead  us  to  believe  that  in  the  case  of  the  Brown  Weasel, 
a  ten-mile  round  would  probably  represent  the  wanderings  of 
the  individual. 

There  are  doubtless  seve.al  Weasels  to  each  square  mile 
in  the  wooded  country.     I  found  this  species  common  about 


^1^ 


li 


.;[i 


I 


V\4 


.    ■ 

i  1 


4 


Fic.  204— Head  of  Short-tailed  Weasel  cf . 

Sketched  in  the  flesh  at  Winripeir,  Aui^'  35.  19'M  (life  sizei.  This  is  somewhat  abnonnal 
in  colourinif.  The  litiht  ttrea  un  tliroat  and  on  cheelc  under  ear  (as  dottetl)  is  autphur 
yellow,  the  rest  of  the  i:hcek,  the  chin,  lip&.  and  i  tntrui  part  of  snout,  pure  white. 

Carberry,  Dauphin,  Winnipeg,  and  Ingolf.  Kennicott  says 
it  appears  to  be  abundant  along  Red  River. 

In  the  winter  of  1 900-1,  it  was  extraordinarily  numerous 
in  Manitoba. 

George  H.  Measham  writes  me  from  Woonona,  Shoal 
Lake,  January  17,  1901 :  "Charles  Tweddell  has  trapped  over 
40  of  them  just  around  the  shore  where  the  boats  were.  It 
is  strange  how  these  animals  seem  suddenly  to  get  numerous 
and  as  suddenly  disappear." 

R.  MacFarlane  records'  that  in  1903  the  Hudson's  Bay 
Company  exported  33,883  Ermine  skins;  probably  half  were 
of  this  species.  But  this  destruction  makes  no  obvious  differ- 
ence in  their  numbers. 


li 


'  Mam.  N.  W.  Ter.,  Proc.  U.  S.  N.  M.,  Vol.  XXVIII,  190^,  p.  713. 


Short-tailed  Weasel 


845 


The  Weasels  of  this  group  are  neither  sociable  nor  grega-  socia. 
rious;  they  are,  indeed,  an  unlovely  lot,  no  matter  how  we  look  ""^'^ 
it  them. 

Nevertheless,  for  guidance  of  future  observers,  it  may  be  stoat 
well  to  remember  that  the  British  Stoat,  their  near  kinsman,  is 
known  to  unite  in  numbers  on  occasion  for  the  common  good. 
Thus  E.  T  Booth  records'  a  case  of  20  to  30  uniting  to  attack 
a  terrier  dog.  Other  esses  ate  recorded  of  their  attacking 
men.  And  Millais  refers'  to  the  well-known  fact  that  a  pack 
of  6  or  8  will  unite  to  hunt. 

There  is  little  doubt  that  the  insufferable  smell  of  the  inter. 
•stinking'  Weasels  was  developed  originally  as  a  method  of  S?cT'^' 
intercommunication,  as  a  means  of  getting  at  their  friends;  '^'°*' 
though  not  a  few,  notably  the  Skunk,  and  in  a  less  degree  the 
present  one,  have  carried  it  so  far  that  they  now  find  it  an 
effectual  means  of  getting  at  their  enemies. 

The  sharply  demarked  white  and  brown  with  the  black 
tail-tip  are  believed  to  be  the  uniform  or  directive  marks  of 
this  species.  They  are  shown  by  no  other  mammal  of  the  size 
in  North  America.  So  far  as  I  know,  they  are  not  civilized 
enough  to  use  the  smell-telephone  (see  Wolf). 

All  of  the  Weasels  growl,  snarl,  hiss  or  puff,  or  utter  a  voice 
reiterated  sharp  sound,  which  is  like  a  bark  in  the  large  species 
and  a  shrill  screech  in  th    small  ones,  and  record  is  made 
herein  later  of  a  female,  presumably  of  the  present  kind,  calhng 
her  young  by  a  "sort  of  grumbling  coo." 

British  Stoats,  according  to  Millais,* "  will  stop  and  bark  for 
a  long  time  at  some  object  that  puzzles  them."  When  playing. 
Stoats  give  out  a  chuckling,  happy  sound,  uttered  in  a  high  and 
a  low  key.  When  angry,  they  make  a  loud  chattering  noise,  and, 
when  hunting  in  packs  and  in  full  cry,  are  said  to  'give  tongue.' 

Little  is  known  of  the  mating  of  this  animal.     There  is  mating 
some  reason  for  believing  it  takes  place  about  the  third  week 


•  Field,  October  6,  1883. 

■  Mam.  G.  B.  &  I.,  1905,  Vol.  II,  p.  122-3. 


r 


M 


M 


'Ibid. 


i 


.m 


8^0         Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 

of  March  and  that  the  species  pairs;  but  the  male  does  not 
trouble  his  head  about  wife  or  family  after  the  love  season  is 
over— though  there  may  be  some  exceptions  to  this,  as  the 
following  cases  show: 

Charles  G.  D.  Roberts  tells  me  that  one  day  when  he  was 
a  boy,  living  in  Westmoreland  County,  N.  B.,  he  was  sitting 
in  a  field  near  a  stone  heap,  by  the  edge  of  Tantramar 
Marsh,  when  two  large  Weasels  (Ermine)  came  out  of  the 
stone  pile  and  ran  round  him  in  a  manner  so  threatening  that 


Jio.  J05— Skulls  of  Short-lailcd  Wcawl. 
3-  Adult  malr. 
4.  Adult  female. 


Fio.  10ft— Skull  of  Short-tailed  Weasel 
adult  J,  from  Elk  River,  Minn. 


From  C.  II.  Mcrrianu  Synopsis.  .N.  A.  Fauna,  No.  11,  iHi/i.    PUle«  II.  and  p.  11     Cuts  lupplled  bv  the  Bioloulcal 
Surrey,  f.  S.  Uepl.  o(  Agriculture.  ri-  ,  • 

he  was  ..fraid  )f  them.  He  remained  very  still  and  at  length 
they  disappeared  into  the  stone  pile.  He  took  them  for  a  pair, 
as  they  wf  e  obviously  associated,  and  he  thinks  the  nest  was 
in  the  pile.  As  cicognanii  is  the  only  species  of  the  size  known 
from  New  Brunswick,  the  identification  is  good. 

E.  A.  Samuels  records'  having  seen  a  pair  of  Weasels  pur- 
suing a  Chipmunk  about  the  middle  of  June,  1901,  near  Ford- 
ham,  N.  Y.  The  present  was  probably  the  species  he  saw, 
and  the  fact  that  two  were  united  at  that  season  for  a  common 
purpose  is  a  shred  of  evidence  that  the  species  pairs. 

John  Burroughs  tells  me  that  one  summer,  fifty-five  years 
ago,  when  he  was  a  boy  in  the  Catskills,  he  saw  2  old  Weasels 
and  3  young  ones  together  run  across  an  open  lane. 

•  Forest  and  Stream,  July  27,  1901. 


Short-tailed  Weasel 


847 


The  following  note,  which  I  made  on  a  pair  of  Black- 
footed  Ferrets  at  the  New  York  Zoological  Park,  may  be  ad- 
duced as  collateral  evidence,  for  mating  habits  do  not  vary 
much  in  the  same  family:  The  mu.  Ferret  is  very  aggressive. 
He  utters  a  loud,  harsh,  barking  a  dozen  times  in  rapid  succes- 
sion, also  a  loud  hissing.  Nothing  enrages  him  more  than  any 
interfere  nee  with  the  female.  As  this  is  true  the  year  round,  it 
points  to  permanent  mating. 

From  these  facts,  then,  we  must  assume  that  this  Weasel 
pairs  and  that  the  male,  sometimes  at  least,  takes  an  interest 
in  the  young. 

The  only  detailed  evidence  I  can  find  on  the  dens  of  this  dens 
Weasel  is  as  follows: 

John  Burroughs,  in  November,  1893,  saw  a  Brown  Weasel 
carrying  Mice  into  its  burrow,  as  narrated  in  the  paragraph  on 
storage.     He  dug  after  it  for  several  lours  one  day.     Next 
day  he  returned  with  better  tools  and  tr  ed  again,  moving  over 
a  ton  of  rooty  earth  and  exposing  many  more  galleries,  but 
finding  no  larder.     He  found,   however,   several   little  "ex- 
pansions and  at  last  one  of  his  banqueting  halls,  a  cavity  about 
the  size  of  one's  hat,  arched  over  by  a  network  of  fine  tree 
roots.     The  occupant  evidently  lodged  or  rested  here  also. 
There  was  a  warm,  dry  nest  made  of  leaves  and  fur  of  Mice 
and  Moles.     I  took  out  two  or  three  handfuls.     In  finding  this 
chamber  I  had  followed  one  of  the  tunnels  around  till  it  brought 
me  witi.in  a  foot  of  the  original  entrance.     A  few  inches  to  one 
side  of  this  cavity  there  was  what  I  took  to  be  a  back  alley 
where  the  Weasel  threw  his  waste;  there  were  large  masses  of 
wet,  decaying  fur  here,  and  fur  pellets  such  as  are  regurgitated 
by  hawks  and  owls.     In  the  nest  there  was  the  tail  of  a  Flying- 
squirrel,  showing  that  the  Weasel  sometimes  had  this  game 
for  supper  or  dinner.'"    After  this  the  Weasel's   labyrinth 
seemed  to  grow  more  complicated  as  well  as  expand  to  include 
the  neighboaring  country,  and  the  digger  had  to  give  it  up 
without  finding  the  store  of  Mice. 

*  Squirrels  and  Other  Fur-bearen,  1900,  pp.  77-8. 


I! 

n 


1^ 


I 


f 


SANITA- 
TION 


GESTA- 
TION 


YOUNO 


848         Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 

A  burrow  so  extensive,  Burroughs  thinks,  must  have  been 
the  work  of  many  seasons,  and  therefore  a  oermanent  home  of 
this  Weasel. 

One  of  the  most  interesting  features  in  it  was  the  midden- 
heap.  When  we  find  an  animal  far  enough  advanced  to  purify 
its  nest  by  appointing  and  keeping  apart  a  place  for  garbage 
and  filth,  we  must  honour  it  for  having  advanced  the  first 
degree  in  sanitation,  and  even  for  having  taken  a  step  towards 
civilization. 

The  period  of  gestation  in  our  Ermine  is  unknown,  but 
A.  H.  Cocks  found  it  to  be  about  40  days  in  the  British 
congener. 

The  young  number  from  4  to  8,  are  usually  5  or  6,  and 
doubtless,  like  Stoats,  they  are  blind  for  some  nine  days  after 
birth. 

In  her  ordinary  life  the  old  Weasel  walks  to  and  fro,  far 
and  near,  throughout  the  earth  seeking  whom  she  may  de- 
stroy; but  in  spring,  as  we  see,  she  responds  to  the  home 
love,  and  for  a  time  is  chained  to  the  nest  v/ith  the  young. 
She  hides  them  with  care,  nurses  them  with  tender  and  truly 
musteline  assiduity,  and  guards  them  with  a  marvellous 
courage,  until  in  late  summer  when  they  are  about  six  or  eight 
weeks  old ;  then  they  are  strong  enough  to  follow  her  about, 
and  she  resumes  her  travels  at  the  head  of  her  half-dozen  bud- 
ding cutthroats,  and  leaves  a  trail  of  destruction  still  wider 
than  before. 

On  June  28,  at  my  home  in  Connecticut,  John  Crawford  saw 
in  a  dry  stone  wall  by  my  house  an  old  Weasel  {noveboracensis) 
and  5  young  ones  about  half  grown.  She  ran  across  an  open 
space  to  the  woodshed,  where  she  called  the  young  ones  in  a 
"sort  of  grumbling  coo."  Each  time  she  did  so  they  popped 
out  their  heads. 

Crawford  tried  to  hit  them  witli  a  stick.  The  mother  ran 
forward  a  number  of  times,  calling  the  young  to  come,  and  at 
last  dashed  back  into  the  wall  where  they  were.    As  we  saw  no 


Ik 


Short-tailed  Weasel 


8411 


more  of  them,  the  old  one  doubtless  went  on  with  her  band 
of  pirates. 

In  the  case  observed  by  John  Burroughs,  the  mother 
showed  her  ready  devotion,  for  he  fired  at  the  young  ones, 
wounding  one  of  them  so  it  could  not  run,  but  the  mother 
seized  it  in  her  mouth  and  bore  it  away  to  safety. 

As  already  noted,  the  father,  in  some  cases  at  least,  is 
active  in  the  care  of  the  young. 

So  far  as  known,  there  is  but  one  brood  each  year. 

At  Carberry,  I  have  often  seen  this  energetic  little  creature  habits 
seeking  for  Mice  in  the  deep,  soft  snow.  Its  actions  are  much 
like  those  of  an  Otter  pursuing  salmon.  Sometimes  it  galloped 
along  a  log  or  over  an  icy  part  of  the  drift;  th  n  plunged  out 
of  sight  in  a  soft  place,  ^ ;  reappvar  many  yardf  away,  bound- 
ing here  and  there,  over  and  under,  restless  reless  as 
the  waves  of  the  sea — forever  changing  his  place,  ,JOse  and 
direction,  an  embodiment  of  lithe  grace  and  endless  assiduity. 
At  such  times,  if  he  disappears  in  some  crevice,  hole,  or  maze, 
he  is  easily  persuaded  to  come  forth  again,  if  you  remain  still 
and  squeak  like  a  Mouse. 

The  smell  of  blood  must  be  as  far  reaching  as  it  is  attrac- 
tive to  these  sanguinary  little  creatures.  I  have  frequently 
hung  new-killed  Rabbits  and  partridges  temporarily  in  trees, 
and,  after  an  absence  in  some  cases  of  a  few  minutes  only,  have 
found  an  Ermine  mauling  the  game,  though  there  was  no  sign 
of  such  a  visitor  when  the  cache  was  made. 

The  Weasels  have  the  unloveliest  disposition  of  all  our 
wild  animals.  Outside  of  their  strength  and  courage,  we  find 
in  them  little  to  admire.  Most  other  animals  have  a  well- 
marked  home-region  and  friends,  but  the  ordinary  life  of  a 
Weasel  is  that  of  a  wandering  demon  of  carnage.  Dr.  Coues 
has  tersely  summed  up  Weasel,  body  and  soul,  in  a  few  char- 
acteristic lines:' 

"A  glance  at  the  physiognomy  of  the  Weasel  would  suffice 
to  betray  their  character.    The  teeth  are  almost  of  the  highest 

'Fur-bearing  Animals,  1877,  p.  lag. 


I 


>ii 


n^ 


850         Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 


FOOD 


I 


known  raptorial  character;  the  jaws  are  worked  by  enormous 
masses  of  muscles  covering  all  the  sides  of  the  skull.  The  fore- 
head is  low,  and  the  nose  is  sharp;  the  eyes  are  ;  .  11,  pene- 
trating, cunning,  and  glitter  with  an  angry  green  lig  .  TV  m  ; 
is  something  peculiar,  moreover,  in  the  way  that  this  fierce  f 
surmounts  a  body  extraordinarily  wiry,  lithe,  and  muscular. 
It  ends  in  a  remarkably  long  and  slender  neck,  in  such  a  way 
that  it  may  be  held  at  right  angles  with  the  axis  of  the  latter. 
When  the  creature  is  glancing  around,  with  the  neck  stretched 
up  and  the  flat  triangular  head  bent  forward,  swaying  from 
one  side  to  the  other,  we  catch  the  likeness  in  a  moment — it  is 
the  image  of  a  serpent." 

The  thugs  of  India  claim  to  be  devotees  of  the  Goddess  of 
Destruction ;  and  profess,  therefore,  that  it  is  their  duty  to  kill  as 
many  human  beings  as  possible.  The  Weasel  is  the  Thug  of 
the  Wild  World.  While  other  animals  may  kill  to  excess  for 
the  gratification  of  appetite,  the  Weasels  alone  seem  to  revel  in 
slaughter  for  its  own  sake,  to  find  unholy  joy  in  the  horrors  of 
dying;  squeak,  final  quiver,  and  wholesale  destruction.  Gifted 
with  tremendous  strength  and  activity;  at  home  in  the  tree 
top,  under  the  snow,  on  the  earth,  under  ground,  or  in  the 
water;  keen  of  wits,  tireless  of  wind  and  limb,  insatiably  cruel 
and  madly  courageous,  they  are  all  too  well  equipped  for 
their  chosen  Herodian  task. 

The  Weasel  preys  on  every  kind  of  bird  and  beast  that  it 
can  master,  and  this  means  everything  from  turkey  and 
Rabbit  down  to  tomtit  and  Shrew.  On  the  list  of  its  prey 
we  find  recorded  all  kinds  of  domestic  poultry,  all  wild  birds 
that  it  can  catch,  Rats,  Mice,  Squirrels,  Chipmunks,  etc.  It 
is  the  most  villainous  of  murderers  when  it  finds  an  open  way 
to  the  chicken  house. 

Bachman  tells'  of  40  well-grown  fowls  having  been  "  killed 
in  one  night  by  a  single  Ermine.  Satiated  with  the  blood  of 
probably  a  single  fowl,  the  rest,  like  the  flock  slaughtered  by 
the  Wolf  in  the  sheepfold,  were  destroyed  in  obedience  to  a 
law  of  nature,  an  instinctive  propensity  to  kill.    Wc  have 

•  Quad.  N.  A.,  1849,  Vol.  II,  p.  58. 


^ii^iMk. 


PI.ATF.  I.XXVI, — THK  HKMON  "F  MURDER. 

Drawn  liy  E.  T.  Selon,  lo  illustrate  AudulKin  and  Ilaihmiins   iniidcnt    •■(   the  Drown  VViascl  that  want.inly  massacred  tV  • 

Chipmunk  family. 


i      .1 


1 


'I- 


'I 

•4     I 


I 


— ■ — -~- 


Short-tailed  Weasel 


851 


traced  the  footsteps  of  this  blood-sucking  little  animal  on  the 
snow,  pursuing  the  trail  of  the  American  Rabbit,  and  although 
it  could  not  overtake  its  prey  by  superior  speed,  yet  the  timid 
Hare  soon  took  refuge  in  the  hollow  of  a  tree,  or  in  a  hole  dug 
by  the  Marmot  or  Skunk.  Thither  it  was  pursued  by  the 
Ermine  and  destroyed,  the  skin  and  other  remains  at  the  mouth 
of  the  burrow  bearing  evidence  of  the  fact." 

Kennicott  records*  that  "in  a  single  night  and  the  early 
part  of  the  following  evening  one  of  these  killed  nearly  50 
chickens,  several  of  which  were  adults,  and  many  half  grown." 

"Wherever  the  Ermine  has  taken  up  its  residence,"  says 
Bachman,"  "the  Mice  in  its  vicinity  for  half  a  mile  around 
have  been  found  rapidly  to  diminish  in  number.  Their  active 
little  enemy  is  able  to  force  its  thin  vermiform  body  into  the 
burrows,  it  follows  them  to  the  end  of  their  galleries,  and  de- 
stroys whole  families.  We  have  on  several  occasic  s,  after 
a  light  snow,  followed  the  trail  of  this  Weasel  through  tlic  fields 
and  meadows,  and  witnessed  the  immense  destruction  which 
it  occasioned  in  a  single  night.  It  enters  every  hole  under 
stumps,  logs,  stone  heaps,  and  fences,  and  evidences  of  its  bloody 
deeds  are  seen  in  the  mutilated  remains  of  the  Mice  scattered 
on  the  snow.  The  little  Chipping  or  Ground-squirrel, 
Tamias  lysteri,  takes  up  its  residence  in  the  vicinity  of  the  grain 
fields,  and  is  known  to  carry  off  in  its  cheek  pouches  vast  quan- 
tities of  wheat  and  buckwheat  to  serve  as  vinter  stores.  The 
Ermine  instinctively  discovers  these  snug  retreats,  and  in  the 
sp? '  fa  few  minutes  destroys  a  whole  family  of  these  beauti- 
f  .'  •  Tamiee;  without  even  resting  awhile  until  it  has  con- 
s  its  now  abundant  food,  its  appetite  craving  for  more 

bl  >s.  .is  if  impelled  by  an  irresistible  destiny,  it  proceeds  in 
search  of  other  objects  on  which  it  may  glut  its  insatiable 
vampire-like  thirst.  The  Norway  Rat  and  the  Common  House- 
mouse  take  possession  of  our  barns,  wheat  stacks  and  granaries, 
and  destroy  vast  quantities  of  grain.  In  some  instances  the 
farmer  is  reluctantly  compelled  to  pay  even  more  than  a 
tithe  in  contributions  towards  the  support  of  these  pests.    Let, 

•  Quad,  ni.,  1859,  p.  344-  "  Quad.  N.  A.,  1849,  Vol.  II,  pp.  S9-<5o. 


-    1 

V 

'I 


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mmmBatm 


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852 


Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 


w  ■ 


STORAGE 
HABITS 


however,  an  Ermine  find  its  way  into  these  barns  and  granaries 
and  there  take  up  its  winter  residence,  and  the  havoc  which  is 
made  among  the  Rats  and  Mice  will  soon  be  observable.  The 
Ermine  pursues  them  to  their  farthest  retreats,  and  in  a  few 
weeks  the  premises  are  entirely  free  from  their  depredations. 
We  once  placed  a  half  domesticated  Ermine  in  an  out-house  in- 
fested with  Rats,  shutting  up  the  holes  to  prevent  their  escape. 
The  little  animal  soon  commenced  his  work  of  destructiun. 
The  squeaking  of  the  Rats  was  heard  throughout  the  day. 
In  the  evening  it  came  out  licking  its  mouth,  and  seemed  like 
a  hound  after  a  long  chase,  much  fatigued." 

At  Ingolf,  Ont.,  September  i6,  1904,  I  saw  a  specimen  of 
this  Weasel  that  had  been  shot  by  the  station  agent.  He  told 
me  that  there  were  five  or  six  Rabbits  each  night  about  the 
station.  But  one  day  the  Weasel  took  up  its  abode  near  by  and 
the  Rabbits  disappeared.  The  Weasel  came  into  the  station 
one  night  and,  by  help  of  the  dog  and  a  stick,  the  man  injured 
it,  but  it  escaped  through  a  hole  in  the  mosquito  bar.  Next 
day  it  was  back  and  he  killed  it  with  a  shot-gun.  The  pertinac- 
ity of  the  animal  in  returning  was  very  characteristic. 

The  storage  habit  is  not  what  we  look  for  in  a  creature 
so  reckless  and  wasteful  as  a  Weasel,  and  yet  it  seems  fairly 
well-developed  in  this  species.  Bachman,  after  the  above 
experiment  with  the  Ermine  as  a  ratter,  says:"  "A  board  of 
the  floor  was  raised  to  enable  us  to  ascertain  the  result  of  our 
experiment,  and  an  immense  number  of  Rats  vere  observed, 
which,  although  they  had  been  killed  in  different  parts  of  the 
building,  had  been  dragged  together,  forming  a  compact 
heap."  And  again  he  says"  that  he  has  known  the  Ermine 
to  kill  and  cache  in  the  snow  a  Cottontail  Rabbit,  pressing  the 
snow  tightly  down  over  it. 

John  Burroughs  gives"  another  curious  case  of  Weasel 
storage,  in  connection  with  the  den  already  described.  He 
saw  the  creature  {cicognanii?)  carrying  a  Mouse  into  a  hole 


» Ibid.,  p.  60. 

"  Squirrels  and  Other  Furbearers,  1900,  pp.  72-5. 


» Ibid.,  p.  58. 


Short-tailed  Weasel 


853 


about  every  fifteen  minutes  till  4  were  stored  within ;  the  next 
day  the  same  thing  went  on  until  4  more  were  carried  in 
before  his  eyes,  and  doubtless  others  he  had  not  seen,  so  he  set 
to  work  to  dig  out  and  examine  this  larder,  but  the  farther  he 
went  the  more  branches  the  tunnel  had,  and  after  many  hours' 
digging  he  gave  it  up. 

Kennicott  credits"  the  kindred  species  {noveboracensis) 
with  collecting  in  a  particular  spot  the  Rats  and  Mice  it  has 
slaughtered,  until  a  hundred  or  more  of  the  victims  are  in  the 
pile. 

As  the  Weasel  usually  craves  hot,  fresh  blood,  and  a 
living  prey,  I  am  puzzled  to  understand  its  occasional  wabblings 
toward  the  frugal  habits  and  virtuous  ways  of  much  better 
citizens. 

Much  as  we  may  hate  it  for  its  sanguinary  disposition,  we  cour- 
are  bound  to  respect  the  Weasel  for  its  courage.     It  will  ordi- 
narily face  any  animal  up  to  twenty  or  thirty  times  its  size;  a 
mother  Weasel  will  face  and  fight  an  elephant;  she  will  fly  from 
nothing  that  may  threaten  her  young. 

That  this  animal  will  sometimes  attack  man  is  shown  in 
a  case  related  by  Burroughs:"  The  Weasel  turned  savagely  on 
a  man  that  had  interfered  with  its  feasting  on  a  newly  killed 
Rat.  It  dodged  his  blows  of  stick  and  stone  in  a  way  "sin- 
gularly uncanny  and  startling.  It  was  like  some  infuriated 
imp  of  Satan,  dancing  before  him  and  watching  the  chance  to 
seize  him  by  the  throat  or  to  dash  into  his  eyes." 

Whatever  a  Weasel  does,  is  done  quickly — whether  it  be  to  speed 
seize  the  bounding  Squirrel,  clinch  on  the  rash  terrier's  nose, 
elude  the  rifle  ball  at  the  flash,  or  save  its  young — it  is  known 
to  act  like  lightning  and  with  nearly  uniform  success. 

Measured  by  miles  per  hour,  I  doubt  not  its  speed  on  the 
ground  would  be  low,  but  in  dodging  it  is  quick  to  bafllement 
of  the  eye  and  the  gun.     In  the  trees  it  is  perfectly  at  home, 

»  Quad.  lU.,  1858,  p.  106. 

"  Squirrels  and  Other  Fur-bearers,  1900,  p.  84. 


1 


.    \ 


' 


'lii 


854 


Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 


SWIM- 
MING 


ENEMIES 


much  more  so  than  a  Chipmunk,  and  almost  as  much  so  as  a 
Red-squirrel. 

Bachman  writes"  thus  of  one:  "To  avoid  a  dog  that  was 
in  close  pursuit,  it  mounted  a  tree  and  laid  itself  flat  on  a 
limb  about  20  feet  from  the  ground,  from  which  it  was  finally 
shot." 

In  the  water  it  is  a  good  swimmer.  The  following  was 
observed  by  J.  W.  Curran,  of  Montreal,  while  camped  at  Lake 
Couchiching,  Ont.,  in  July,  1899:" 

"About  50  yards  away  from  us  a  Chipmunk  jumped  off 
a  tree  overhanging  the  water  and  plunged  boldly  in,  followed 
at  a  distance  of  not  more  than  3  feet  by  a  Weasel.  It  was  a 
great  jumping  contest,  and  our  hearts  were  with  the  little 
fellow  in  front.  However,  we  remained  neutral.  For  25 
yards  things  looked  black  for  the  Chipmunk.  The  Weasel 
pulled  up  slightly,  probably  a  foot — and  we  prepared  to  go  out 
and  give  a  hand.  It  was  a  fast  race,  too,  the  pair  easily  beating 
the  best  swimming  I  ever  saw  a  dog  do.  The  Weasel,  I  think, 
showed  more  of  his  body  and  seemed  to  exert  himself  more. 
After  the  first  spurt  the  Chipmunk  managed  to  hold  the  lead, 
and  at  the  end  of  one  hundred  yards  or  less  the  Weasel,  com- 
pletely blown,  suddenly  threw  up  the  sponge  and  wheeled 
around  for  the  shore,  his  successful  competitor  keeping  right 
on  for  another  island  a  quarter  of  a  mile  away. 

"  I  think  a  Chipmunk  and  probably  a  Black-squirrel  can 
beat  a  Weasel  swimming,  and  also  that  Weasels  do  not  depend 
entirely  on  smell  when  after  a  meal." 

If  Weasels  were  to  be  greatly  multiplied  they  would  quickly 
destroy  every  small  bird,  beast,  and  reptile  in  the  country. 
Fortunately,  they  are  nowhere  abundant.  Although  prolific, 
and  comparatively  safe  from  the  attacks  of  bird  and  beast  of 
prey,  they  never  become  numerous.  The  reason  lies,  partly, 
I  believe,  in  their  own  ferocity.     More  Weasels  are  killed  by 

••  Quad.  N.  A.,  1849,  Vol.  II,  p.  58. 
"  Forest  and  Stream,  June  a,  1900. 


I 


Short-tailed  Weasel 


855 


Weasels  than  by  any  other  foe.  Two  Weasels  cannot  live  in 
the  same  thicket;  one  of  them  must  fall  or  flee.  It  is  probable, 
too,  that  an  unusual  increase  in  Weasels  results  in  such  whole- 
sale extermination  of  their  prey  that  local  famine  awaits  these 
bloodsuckers.  In  the  fights  for  life  that  follow,  the  slightest 
difference  in  weight  counts  and  it  appears  that  females  are 
often  overpowered  and  destroyed  by  their  unchivalrous  lords, 
so  that  a  ruthless  check  is  put  on  the  further  multiplication  of 
their  race,  and  their  number  once  more  brought  to  its  proper 
low  adjustment. 

I  never  saw  one  of  these  Weasel  fights,  but  I  have  heard  of 
them,  and  have  seen  a  duel  between  Martens  in  which  the 
female  was  killed.  Sex  probably  counts  for  nothing  among 
these  Weasels,  except  in  the  breeding  season. 

One  of  the  most  curious  cases  of  a  Weasel  meeting  his 
doom  is  this  recorded  by  T.  Mcllwraith."  He  does  not  give 
the  species  of  Weasel,  but,  from  the  place,  it  was  most  likely  the 
present  one:  "Twenty  years  ago,  I  knew  a  youth  who  shot 
one  of  these  birds  [Bald  Eagle]  as  it  flew  over  him  while  he  lay 
concealed  among  the  rushes  on  the  shore  of  Hamilton  Bay 
watching  for  ducks.  On  taking  it  up  he  found  an  unusual 
appendage  dangling  from  the  neck,  which  proved,  on  examina- 
tion, to  be  the  bleached  skull  of  a  Weasel.  The  teeth  had  the 
'death  grip'  of  the  skin  of  the  bird's  throat,  and  the  feathers 
near  this  place  were  much  confused  and  broken. 

"The  eagle  had  probably  caught  the  Weasel  on  the  ground 
and,  rising  with  his  prize,  a  struggle  had  ensued  in  the  air, 
during  which  the  Weasel  had  caught  the  bird  by  the  throat 
and  hung  there  till  he  was  squeezed  and  clawed  to  pieces." 


There  is  a  curious  and  interesting  side  to  Weasel  nature  antics 
well-known  in  England,  and  doubtlfcss  to  be  discovered  in  our 
own  species,  as  soon  as  it  has  been  observed  as  fully  as  its 
British  cousin.  The  Stoat  often  practices  a  piece  of  perfectly 
Satanic  dissimulation  as  a  ruse  to  approach  some  intended 
prey  that  is  in  an  open  place. 

"  Birds  of  Ontario,  1894,  pp.  209-10. 


856         Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 

Millais"  gives  a  number  of  instances  of  Stoats  openly 
approaching  the  intended  quarry  bv  rolling  on  the  ground  and 
gambolling  in  various  antic  ways,  so  as  to  arouse  the  curiosity 
and  lull  the  suspicions  of  the  victim  as  it  draws  ever  nearer. 


>-,'■ 


If : 


I 

i 


VALUE 
TO  MAN 


A  most  interesting  sort  of  game  played  by  two  males  and  a 
female  Stoat  is  described  by  C.  B.  Moffat,"  who  witnessed  it 
in  June,  1890,  near  Ballyhyland,  Enniscorthy,  Ireland.  All 
were  apparently  full  grown.  They  were  chasing  each  other 
like  dogs  or  kittens,  knocking  each  other  over,  and  turning 
somersaults.  "A  curious  crowing  sort  of  note,  'Curoo,  curoo, 
curoo'  uttered  very  quickly,  was  frequently  uttered,  and  in- 
variably when  they  ran  at  full  speed.  Great  part  of  the  game 
consisted  in  all  three  animals  careering  across  the  road  again 
and  again,  frequently  crossing  each  other,  when  they  some- 
times sprang  high  in  the  air  and  cannoned  against  one  another, 
all  evidently  in  the  height  of  fun.  Then  there  was  a  ceremony, 
which  I  could  not  quite  understand,  of  pressing  their  noses  on 
the  bare  ground  and  running  along  for  a  foot  or  so,  making  a 
slight  grating  noise.     I  do  not  know  how;  they  all  did  this." 

There  is  much  evidence  of  adult  British  Stoats  having 
games  of  this  sort  in  summer  and  in  winter,  apparently  at  times 
when  the  sex  instincts  are  dormant. 

The  grewsome  chapter  of  carnage  and  woe  that  appears 
under  the  section  on  habits  and  food  might  lead  one  to  list  the 
Weasel  among  things  to  be  destroyed  at  all  times,  and  by  any 
means,  as  a  thing  without  redeeming  qualities.  But  Kennicott, 
after  years  of  close  acquaintance,  says:"  "I  have  frequently 
found  the  half-eaten  remains  of  Meadow-mice  in  their  burrows 
or  under  corn-stalks,  which  had  doubtless  been  destroyed  by 
this  Weasel  [P.  noveboracensis],  or  perhaps  the  smaller  one 
(P.  cicognanii).  It  is  a  surprising  thing  that  an  animal  so 
large  as  this  should  be  able  to  force  its  way  into  the  burrows  of 
Meadow-mice,  and  yet  it  appears  to  do  so  without  difficulty. 


'•  Mam.  G.  B.  &  I.,  1905,  Vol.  II,  pp.  116-17. 
"  Zoologist,  1890,  p.  381. 


"  Quad.  lU.,  1858,  p.  105. 


short-tailed  Weasel 


857 


"Stacks  and  barnfuls  of  grain  are  often  overrun  with 
Rats  and  Mice;  but  let  a  Weasel  take  up  his  residence  there 
and  soon  the  pests  will  disappear.  A  Weasel  will  occasionally 
remain  for  some  time  in  a  barn  feeding  on  these  vermin  without 
disturbing  the  fowls. 

"  Indeed  I  am  inclined  to  think  that  notwithstanding  their 
occasionally  predatory  inroads,  they  should  not  be  killed  when 
living  permanently  about  meadows  on  caltivated  fields  at  a 
distance  from  the  poultry." 

The  Weasel,  then,  like  so  many  of  our  carnivores,  will  eat  food 
any  living  thing  it  can  master,  but  probably  counts  on  Mice  as 
its  steady  diet  the  year  round. 

This  is  one  of  the  species  that  supply  the  famous  Ermine  fuk 
fur  of  commerce,  but  it  has  not  the  enormous  value  that  one 
sees  ascribed  to  it  in  reckless  print.    Not  several  dollars,  but  a 
few  cents,  are  the  usual  equivalent  of  a  skin.    The  value  is 
so  low  that  few  trappers  think  them  worth  skinning. 

I  am  told  by  D.  A.  Boscowitz,  the  fur-dealer  of  Victoria,  ermine 
B.  C,  that  at  the  London  fur  sales,  in  Lampson's,  March, 
1906,  80,000  and  odd  Ermine  were  sold.  The  highest  price 
was  7  shillings  and  sixpence  ($1.80)  a  skin  for  prime  white 
Siberian  without  yellow  tint.  Prime  American  and  Canadian 
skins  brought  only  4  shillings  (96  cents).  Other  grades  ranged 
from  that  down  to  sixpence  (12  cents)  for  third-class. 


k 

■  si- 

I, 


•r 


XXXVII. 

The  Least  Weasel,  or  Mouse-hunter. 

Putorius  rixosus  Bangs. 

{Putorius,  see  ante;   rixosus,  Latin  for  'quarreliome'  or  'aggrcMive,'  though  in  thia 

respect  the  species  does  not  seem  to  be  any  worse  than  its  betters.) 

Putorius  pusillus  Baird,  1857,  N.  Am.  Mamm.,  pp.  159-161 

(in  part). 
Putorius  rixosus  Bangs,  1896,  Proc.   Biol.  Soc.  Wash.,  pp. 

21-22. 
Type  Locality.— Osier,  Saskatchewan,  Canada. 

French  Canadian,  la  petite  Belette. 

Cree,  Ojib.,   &   Saut.,  Shing-gwus-ance  or  Little 

Weasel,  diminutive  of  Shing-gwus,  the  Weasel. 

This  name  is  applied  to  all  of  the  small  species 

indiscriminately. 
Chipewyan,  Tel-ky'-lay-az-zy  (little  Weasel). 
Yankton  Sioux,  Ke-tong-ka-ska.    (Given  to  all  small 

Weasels.) 

This  species  has  been  partly  known  to  naturalists  since 
1857,  when  Baird  described  a  specimen,  believing  it  to  be  the 
same  as  its  larger  cousin,  the  Least  Weasel,  of  Great  Britain. 
In  1893,  W.  C.  Colt,  at  Osier,  Sask.,  captured  a  summer  spec- 
imen which  he  sent  to  Outram  Bangs,  of  Boston.  In  1896, 
this  naturalist,  convinced  that  it  represented  an  undescribed 
species,  gave  it  the  name  rixosus.  It  proves  to  be  very  different 
from  its  European  cousin  in  size  as  well  as  in  colour  and 
cranial  characters;  it  is  considerably  smaller  and  is,  indeed,  the 
smallest  known  beast  of  prey  in  the  world. 

868 


e 
1 


I 


i 


I 


R 

n 

^■m 

ii 

KBS 

'y  '  ■ 

Hn 

1  ■ ) 

^^^s 

1  '' 

IN 

l;i 

iBi^vi^H 

II 

I 


Least   vVcascl 


85fi 


It  is  readily  rccoj-nizcl  b\  its  vcr\  mall  size  and  shurt 
tail  without  bi  k  tip.  1  >r  generic  chat.. cters  of  Pw/onW,  sec 
page  872. 

Head  ana  body,  abrnt  6    •     ?s  Ung  (150  mm.);  tail,    \  ua 
inches  (31  mm.);   hii  »-toof    ^b  .ut  13-1^^  inch  (20mm). 

In  summer  coat,  u  >(  -r  paf^^  at;d  tai!  even  1  mber  brown;  colour 
under  parts,  pu  0  whit*  without  an    \cUuw 
■nee,     ai    .      '.arplv    drr  irket     fr   m    th»- 

ch 


|;rov.n;    <  "    in  >    tail, 

throat,    fore    "v        chev         elly 

each     g.  and    :1c     >es,  whiit 

A  f>mal     whi  h   I  gi     at 
Relianc    Gtcat  SI     e  I  ake,  >\nt 
1907    (No.    roo  ,    t>'    .m   Co'-etiii 
length,  b    in     ""^    '7     ^^■ 
(30  mm       hinU-fo<>      }| 
The  hot       ifter  ning 

mm  >  thi   iigh  i   v  <    jp 
thro    'h  the  chesi. 


:hii 


'Sll 


r  I 


Fio.  «o7 


FnUB  M»iTi 
Blul.  Sun 


f  P   rrtatWJ. 


il,  ii^ 

(21       m.) 
a     i    11.    ■)    (I'j 

lart  and  but  i  inch  (.13  mn^  ) 


N    A.  Fauna  li. 
c|>l.  Agl.,  V.  S. 


iree 


ea  arc  rer^ 


rixL  ..s  Ban 
fskimo  S     H' 
alleghenii 
thin! 


uzed : 

•  typical  form. 

irg<     redder  race  with  shorter  tail 
Rhoa.       larger,    darker,    and    more 
ed  tha     rixosus. 


i 


sp- 


LUE-HISTORY. 

;  is  found  in  Arctic  and  boreal  America  from  the 

Hudson  Bay,  probal  *>  10  the  Atlantic;  range 


Bering  .      ,  at  1   1st  tt  ^ ,  . 

and     roi  1   the       ctic  Ocean  to  the  southern  limits  of  the 
Car  a  Jian  Faun 

Professor  S  Baird   had  a  specimen  from   Pembina, 

Minn.'    Outram  tiai,.is  records'  it  from  Osier,  Sask.,  Alaska, 

'  Pacific  R.  R.  Rep.,  Vol.  VHI,  1857,  p.  160. 

•  Rev.  Weasels,  E  N.  A.,  Proc.  Biol.  Soc.  Wash.,  February,  1896,  p.  22. 


1  ' 

(i 


IN  MAN! 
TOBA 


860         Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 

Moose  Factory,  and  Fort  Albany.  According  to  Kennicott,' 
it  is  found  in  Indiana  and  northern  Illinois,  and,  in  fact, 
from  New  York  westward.  G.  F.  Dippie  showed  me  a 
specimen  at  Calgary  where  he  says  it  is  common.  J.  M. 
Macoun  found  it  at  Jasper  House.  E.  A.  Preble  took  specimens 
in  1901  at  Fort  Smith  and  Fort  Resolution.*  E.  A.  Preble 
and  I  secured  one  at  Old  Fort  Reliance,  Great  Slave  Lake, 
September  15,  1907;  and  W.  H.  Osgood  got  one  at  Tyonek, 
Cook's  Inlet,  Alaska.'  In  Pennsylvania,  S.  N.  Rhoads  recently 
discovered  and  described*  a  small  Weasel  {allegheniensts)  that 
may  turn  out  to  be  a  race  of  rixosus. 

At  the  American  Museum,  New  York,  is  a  specimen 
taken  at  Johnstown,  Ohio,  by  N.  C.  Buxton,  January  25, 
1907. 

Thus  all  Manitoba  is  well  within  its  range.   A  winter  spec- 
imen was  sent  me  from  Woonona,  Man.,  by  W.  G.  Tweddell. 
Two  brown-coated  specimens  in  my  collection  were  taken  near 
Morden  by  D.  Nicholson  in  November,  1903.    He  has  seen 
several  in  the  region  of  Pembina  Mountain.    I  have  about  a 
dozen  records  from  Winnipeg.    Dr.  Gordon  Bell  shot  one  near 
Delta  Lake,  Man.,  September  15,  1902,  and  J.  S.  Charieson 
says  it  is  quite  common  in  fall  about  Macdonald,  Man.    Al- 
though the  Least  Weasel  has  a  wide  extension  in  countries  that 
have  long  been  studied  by  naturalists,  it  is  so  elusive  and  hard 
to  observe  that  until  recently  it  has  escaped  our  acquaintance, 
and  as  yet  we  have  practically  no  knowledge  of  its  habits.    The 
specimen  from  which  I  made  the  drawing  was  taken  at  Mor- 
den, Man.,  by  D.  Nicholson,  about  November,  1903,  and  is 
still'  in  full  summer  coat.    He  had  several  brought  him  at 
different  times,  but  said  that  they  "went  bad"  so  quickly 
that  most  were  lost.    When  a  small  animal  turns  putrid  in 
two  or  three  hours  after  death,  it  usually  means  that  its  food 
is  insects. 

» Quad.  111.,  1859,  p.  a45  *  N.  A.  Fauna,  No.  a;.  1908,  p.  934- 

•  N.  A.  Fauna,  No.  ai,  September,  1901,  pp.  69-70. 
•Mam.  Penna.,  1903,  pp.  173-^ 


ir 


MAP  4fr-IlAH0E  OF  THB  LEAST  WEASEL. 
Pulorhu  tUomi  Bangi. 

THU  m,p  U  fn«nHM  .-»,  r«nrda  b,  R.  K^k^-.  "  B«^  WiUrri  H.  0«<«i.  S.  N.  Rh<-d..  E.  W.  N.taoo.  E.  A.  P«bl..  J.  M.  M«o«n. 
G.  S.  Miller,  uid  E.  T.  S«oo.  ^  ^    ,     __,. 

The  ouUioe  ihom  the  theoretic*!  ranfe;  the  tfott  ue  »ctu»l  reconU. 

801 


ii  II 


FOOD 


862         Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 

This  proneness  to  spoil  therefore  gives  us  the  first  ray  of 
light  we  have  on  its  mode  of  life.  I  have  also  known  it  to  feed 
on  Mice,  and  doubtless  it  adds  small  birds  to  its  list. 

E.  Wilson  tells  me  that,  at  Winnipeg,  Arthur  Hatchings 
caught  a  Least  Weasel  in  a  mouse-trap  about  April  15,  1907. 
It  was  no  larger  than  a  Field-mouse  and  pure  white.  The  trap 
had  broken  its  leg.  He  nursed  it  till  it  was  well,  and  then  set  it 
free.  It  now  lives  about  his  woodshed  and  is  remarkably  tame. 
My  Fort  Reliance  specimen  had  come  on  one  of  our  mouse- 
traps in  which  was  a  dead  Mouse,  had  eaten  the  head,  and  then 
dragged  trap  and  Mouse  some  20  feet,  where  itself  was  killed 
by  another  mouse-trap.  As  its  stomach  was  quite  empty,  I 
think  there  may  have  been  two  Weasels  there. 

The  following  incident,  witnessed  by  my  friend  George  L. 
Fordyce,  of  Youngstown,  Ohio,  furnishes  additional  light  on 
the  food  habits  of  this  pigmy: 

"While  out  in  the  field  this  morning  (December  26) 
walking  along  the  bank  of  a  rav'n'^  at  the  edge  of  our  golf 
course,  I  saw  a  Field-mouse  run  out  of  the  bushes  into  the 
rough  grass  that  is  just  outside  of  the  fair  green  of  the  course. 
In  another  instant,  what  I  thought  at  first  to  be  a  white  Mouse 
came  out  at  the  same  place.  The  Mouse  ran  into  a  wheel 
track  and  disappeared  under  the  grass,  coming  out  about  6  feet 
from  where  it  went  in.  The  white  animal  followed  through 
the  same  course,  and  when  it  came  out,  I  saw  that  it  was  a  small 
Weasel,  very  little  larger  than  the  Mouse,  and  that  it  was  fol- 
lowing the  trail  of  the  Mouse  by  scent. 

"  For  a  time  the  Mouse  ran  in  circles  and  zigzagge.'  about, 
often  coming  around  within  four  or  five  feet  of  the  Weasel,  but 
the  latter  seemed  so  intent  on  the  trail  that  it  did  not  notice 
the  Mouse  to  one  side.  After  a  time,  the  latter  started  toward 
the  open  golf  course,  and  when  the  Weasel  reached  the  point 
where  the  trail  was  straight,  it  sighted  the  prey,  made  a  sudden 
dash  forward,  and,  although  25  feet  behind,  overtook  the 
Mouse  while  it  was  going  three  or  four  feet. 

"  For  a  few  seconds  they  seemed  to  fight,  until  the  Weasel 
got  the  Mouse  by  the  throat,  and  started  for  the  bushes,  drag- 


Least  Weasel 


863 


ging  the  body.  When  it  came  within  about  three  feet  of  me,  I 
moved  a  little  to  see  what  it  would  do.  It  dropped  its  vicam 
and  ran  into  the  ravine.  The  Mouse  had  a  drop  of  bright  red 
blood  in  the  centre  of  its  white  throat.  I  waited  near  by  for 
fifteen  or  twenty  minutes,  thinking  the  Weasel  might  come 
back,  but  it  did  not  show  up  again;  even  an  hour  later  the 
Mouse  had  not  been  disturbed.'" 

W.  H.  Osgood,  while  collecting  in  Cook's  Inlet,  Alaska, 
secured  an  example,  of  which  he  says:* 

"One  aduk  female  was  taken  in  a  swampy  place  near 
Tyonek,  September  19.  It  was  caught  in  a  small  mouse-trap 
in  a  Microtus  runway,  and  doubtless  would  have  escaped  had 
it  not  thrashed  into  a  pool  of  water  and  drowned." 

"The  natives,"  he  adds,  "regard  the  capture  of  one  of  "jdi^j. 
these  rare  animals  as  a  piece  of  great  good  fortune.  One  old  stition 
Indian  who  frequently  visited  our  cabin  told  us  that  his  brother 
who  had  caught  one,  when  a  small  boy,  had  in  consequence 
become  a  'big  chief;  and  he  assured  me  that  since  I  had 
caught  one  I  must  surely  be  destined  to  become  a  man  of  great 
wealth  and  power." 

This  brief  account  contains  everything  that  is  on  record 
about  this  wide-spread  but  furtive  species. 

Direct  observation  fails  us  here,  and  for  further  light  we 
must  look  to  the  next  best  thing— the  analogy  of  its  kindred. 
The  nearest  well-known  relative  of  our  tiny  carnivore  is  the 
Little  Weasel  or  Mouse-hunter  {P.  nivalis)  of  Great  Britain. 
This  differs  chiefly  in  being  slightly  larger;  and  there  is  no 
reason  to  doubt  that  in  habits,  as  in  anatomy,  they  are  very 
similar. 

/  ,     ^ing  to  Thomas  Bell,'  the  Little  Weasel  in  Great  «^ 
Brita  s  chiefly  on  Mice,  for  which  reason  he  regards  it  as 

»  Penonal  letter,  December  a6,  1907. 

•  N.  A.  Fmuna,  No.  ai,  September,  1901,  pp.  69-70. 

•  Biitiib  Qu«dnipe<ta,  1874,  PP-  '83  tt  seq. 


864 


Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 


an  animal  to  be  enccaraged  about  barns;  but  it  also  devours 
insects,  small  birds,  at.d,  on  >are  occasions,  chickens.  It  hunts 
by  scent,  climbs,  and  swims  with  ease. 

Gestation  in  the  Weasels  is  about  42  days.  The  young 
are  usually  5  in  a  litter,  but  vary  from  4  to  6.  The  nest 
is  in  a  hole  in  a  bank.  It  is  lined  with  grass  and  herbage. 
The  mother  will  defend  them  fearlessly  -nd  desperately  against 
all  assailants. 

Most  Weasels  are  solitary  hunters,  but  the  mother  will  go 
hunting  with  her  whole  brood  in  late  summer  and  early  autumn. 
These  family  gatherings  are  doubtless  the  'weasel  packs'  one 
occasionally  hears  of. 


HUNTING 

IN 

PACKS 


VALUE 


J.  G.  Millais  points  out*"  that  in  parts  of  England  the 
Common  Weasel  (P.  nivalis  Linn.)  h  called  'fairy,'  and 
states  that:  "The  habit  of  Weasels  to  travel  and  hunt  in 
company  at  night,  most  likely  explains  a  superstition  which 
still  lingers  in  the  West  of  England,  to  the  effect  that  Hares  are 
hunted  at  night  by  packs  of  little  fairy  hounds,  locally  called 
'Dandy  Dogs,'  and  these  some  of  the  country  people  will 
assure  you  they  have  seen  and  watched  with  awe." 

This  Weasel  is  never  known  to  attack  well-grown  poultry, 
or  mammals  larger  than  a  rat,  so  that  it  must  be  considered  a 
friend  of  the  farmer,  an  animal,  therefore,  that  is  worthy  of  full 
protection. 

These  obser/ations  will  help  us  to  an  understanding  of  our 
own  still  more  diminutive  species,  and  any  reader  who  happens 
to  have  first-hand  facts  about  this  animal  or  its  habits,  can 
render  good  service  to  the  cause  of  Natural  History  by  putting 
his  knowledge  on  record. 

">  Mam.  G.  B.  &  I.,  1905,  Vol.  II,  p.  135. 


XXXVIII. 

Large  Weasel,  Large  Ermine,  Long-tailed  Weasel 
or  Yellow-bellied  Weasel. 

Putorius  longicauda  (Bonapartey. 
(L.  longicauda,  from  longus,  long;  cauda,  tail.) 

Mustela  longicauda  BoN.,   183S,  Charlesworth's  Mag.  Nat. 

Hist.,  II,  p.  38. 
Putorius  longicauda  Rich.,  1839,  Zool.  Beechey's  Voy.,  p.  10. 
Type  Locality. — Carlton  House,  Sask. 

French  Canadian,  la  Belette  a  longue  queue. 
Cree,  Saut.,  &  OjiB.,  Shing-gwus'. 
Yankton  Sioux,  He-tong-ka-shah. 
Ogallala  Stoux,  He-tu-kah'-san. 

This  large  Weasel  is  readily  recognized  by  its  very  long 
tail  and,  in  summer  coat,  by  its  rich  buffy-yellow  under  parts, 
very  different  from  the  white  or  pale  sulphur  tint  often  seen 
on  the  under  parts  of  other  Weasels. 

Seen  afar,  in  winter,  it  might  be  mistaken  for  a  white 
Squirrel. 

In  addition  to  generic  characters  (see  p.  872),  it  has  the 
following: 

Length,  about  18  inches  (457  mm.);   tail,  6  inches  (152  size 
mm.);    hind-foot,  2  inches  (51  mm.).     Female  about  one- 
seventh  smaller. 

All  above,  pale  warm  yellowish-brown  (much  like  that  of  colour 
cicognanii),  darkest  on  crown  and  back,  lightest  on  legs;  all 
below,  rich  warm  buffy-yellow;  tip  of  tail  for  one-quarter  of 
length,  black;  chin,  cheeks,  and  upper  lip,  white  In  winter, 
pure  white,  except  the  tail-tip,  which  continues  black.  Fe- 
male similar. 

865 


mm 


866         Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 

The  following  races  are  recognized: 

longicauda  Bonaparte,  the  t>pica!  form. 
spadix  Bangs,  darker  and  more  richly  coloured. 
oribasus  Bangs,  darker  and  duskier  than  spadix. 

Besides  these  are  the  following  very  nearly  related  forms, 
at  present  ranking  as  species: 

Putorius  arizonensis  Mearns,  similar  to  longicauda  in 

colour  and  marking,  but  much  smaller. 
Putorius  saturatus  Merriam.     Like  arizonensis,  but 

larger  and  darker,  with  distinct  spots  behind  the 

corners  of  the  mouth. 
Putorius  alleni  Merriam.    Like  arizonensis,  but  upper 

parts  more  suffused  with  yellow  and  audital 

bulls  flatter. 


RANGE 


ROME- 
RAKGE 


LlFE-HISTORY. 

The  range  of  the  species  is  the  Great  Plains  from  Kansas 
northward  to  the  Saskatchewan.  In  Manitoba,  I  found  it 
abundant  throughout  the  prairie  region,  seeking  by  preference 
such  cover  as  the  edges  of  broken  land,  thickets,  or  river  banks. 
I  have  seen  it  out  on  the  open  prairie,  but  not  more  than  a  mile 
or  so  from  timber.  I  am  told,  however,  that  it  follows  the 
Richardson  Ground-squirrel  wherever  it  goes,  preying  on  it 
and  living  in  its  burrows.  As  might  have  been  expected,  the 
ranges  of  these  two  animals  coincide  in  the  north. 

I  never  saw  or  heard  of  a  specimen  taken  in  the  forest 
country.  All  those  examined  by  me  in  Manitoba  were  from 
Winnipeg,  Carberry,  and  Morden.  It  is  probably  found 
throughout  our  Alleghanian  or  Transition  Region. 

I  have  no  evidence  on  the  home-range  of  the  individual, 
but  imagine,  from  the  nature  and  abundance  of  its  food,  that  in 
summer,  at  least,  it  need  not  travel  so  far  as  do  most  of  its  kin. 


wm 


Long-tailed  Weasel 


867 


A  pair  of  Long-tailed  Weasels  to  every  square  mile  of  popuia- 
prairie  would,  1  think,  represent  the  utmost  number  of  this  ^°^ 
species.     This  is,  however,  a  mere  guess,  founded  on  the 
number  of  Weasel  tracks  in  the  snow.     Settlement  seems  to 

have  done  nothing  towards  thin- 
ning their  ranks.  They  are, 
1  think,  as  numerous  now  as 
ever. 


BIUTY 


In  sociability,  means  of  in-  socu. 
tercommunication,  matmg, 
breeding,  etc.,  the  Long-tailed 
Weasel  appears  much  like  the 
smaller  Brown-weasel,  but 
there  are  very  few  facts  at 
hand  for  help  in  comprehend- 
ing its  ways  of  life. 


Some  interesting  observa- 
tions, which  probably  refer  to 
the  present  species,  are  con- 
tributed by  Dr.  G.  B.  Grinnell: 

"  In  certain  portions  of  the 
West  the  Common  Weasel,  or 
Ermine,  frequently  takes  up  its 
abode   in   the   villages   of  the 


such  a  pest,  and  preys  on  the 
young  and  perhaps  the  adult  Squirrels.  If,  for  any  reason, 
the  Squirrels  desert  their  villages  and  move  onward — as  they 
frequently  do  through  lack  of  food — the  Weasels  arc  likely  to 
migrate  with  them. 

"This  year  the  Ground-squirrels  have  been  a  pest  on  the 
Blackfoot  Reservation,  in  western  Montana,  and  have  de- 
voured many  of  the  gardens,  root  and  branch.  There  seems 
to  be  no  efficient  way  of  destroying  them,  though,  by  means 
of  the  trap  and   a   small   rifle,  my  friend,  J.   B.   Monroe, 


HABITS 


Fio.  »ft— SkiilU  of  Lng-toilcd  Wowl. 

t'pparmou.  Sid*  vlaw  of  aduJt  ^  ikatl. 

Middle,  top  view  of  adult  ^  tktdl   fkoMi  Ciriton   Houw, 

Loweu,  top  Tivw  of  adult  O  fkuU   fton   CarltOB   Houa«, 
Saik. 

""It^.li^^ltir^l.liT'^S^tii^.   Ground-squirrels,    which    are 

cfti  Surrajr,  u.  5.  Mpt.  of  Atrrtculiue.) 


■-^  s;.)vjuiw.' 


nng 


FOOD 


868         Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 

had   managed  to  kill  in  his  small  garden  about  300  up  to 

July  I.  tj    A 

"  In  this  village  there  are  several  Weasels,  and  Major  R.  A. 
Allen,  who  devoted  much  time  to  shooting  Squirrels,  frequently 
saw  them.  One  seemed  to  have  little  fear  of  him.  Sometimes 
he  would  see  the  creature  run  into  its  hole,  and,  going  there, 
would  hold  a  dead  Squirrel  down  in  the  hole,  and  the  Weasel 
would  come  up  and  seize  it  with  its  teeth.  At  'ength,  the  little 
animal  became  so  tame  that  it  would  come  to  him  and  reach 
for  the  Squirrel  held  above,  and  would  of'cn  jump  into  the  air 
trying  to  catch  it. 

"Of  course,  the  Weasels  were  never  troubled— they  were 
useful  in  destroying  Squirrels."' 

Professor  John  Macoun  tells  me  that  on  July  29, 1906,  at  a 
place  20  miles  south-west  of  Saskatoon,  Sask.,  he  saw  a  Rich- 
rdson  Ground-squirrel  plunge  into  its  hole  on  the  approach 
of  a  Long-tailed  Weasel.  The  latter  went  after  it  at  once,  but 
soon  came  out.  Evidently  the  Squirrel  had  baffled  it  in  some 
way;  perhaps  by  plugging  the  burrow  behind  itself. 

In  addition  to  Ground-squirrels,  this  species  preys  much 
on  the  Snowshoe-hare  or  Bush-rabbit,  especially  in  winter. 
The  Weasel  actually  runs  it  down  in  open  chase,  in  spite  of 
the  Hare's  superior  speed.  Of  this  I  have  often  seen  track 
record  in  the  snow.     Once  only  did  I  see  the  pursuit. 

In  the  winter  of  1886,  while  hunting  in  the  poplar  woods 
north-east  of  Carberry,  I  saw  a  Hare  running  through  the  brush, 
pursued  at  some  distance  by  an  Ermine  or  Long-tailed  Weasel. 
The  chase  circled  about  the  place  where  I  was  camped.  I 
stopped  to  watch  it.  The  Hare  was  at  the  point  of  giving  up 
when,  all  at  once,  it  ran  towards  me  and  took  refuge  Ui.oer  the 
sleigh,  near  my  feet.  The  Weasel  ran  around  at  a  distance  but, 
before  I  could  get  hold  of  my  gun,  he  decided  to  seek  his  dinner 
somewhere  else. 

While  Ground-squirrels  in  jrnmer  and  Hares  in  winter 
may  be  staples  of  its  diet,  I  doubt  not  the  Long-tailed  Weasel 
is  ready  to  prey  on  any  living  creature  it  can  catch,  from  Mouse 

'  Forest  and  Stream,  September  14,  1901,  p.  805. 


^^^^_ 


MAP  47— RANGB  OF  THE  LOlfG-TAILBD  WBASBL  AHD  ITS  HEAR  KIH, 

869 


Miil 


n  . 


870         Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 

to  wild  goose,  and  a  full  investigation  will  probably  show  that 
Mice  arc  its  most  important  year-round  diet. 

COURAGE  The  following  adventure  that  I  witnessed  in  1897  is  good 
evidence  of  the  ferocity  and  courage  of  this  animal:  On 
September  5,  I  was  out  near  Medora,  N.  Dak.,  with  several 
men  on  a  Wolf  hunt.  At  night,  as  we  were  about  to  roll  up  in 
our  blankets,  a  member  of  the  party  called  out:  "Say,  Jack, 
there's  a  Pack-rat  just  run  under  your  saddle."  As  a  Pack- 
rat  {Neotoma)  is  a  notorious  mischief-maker  among  leathers. 
Jack  went  over  and  gave  his  saddle  a  kick.  Then  we  heard 
him  gasping,  swearing,  and  finally  shouting  for  help.  In  the 
dim  light  we  could  see  him  dancing  like  a  maniac  and  clutching 
at  his  throat.  The  campers  all  sat  up  and  answered  his  calls 
for  help  with  jeers  and  derision.  "  Look  at  Jack;  he's  got  'em 
again.     Kill  them.  Jack;  the  air's  full  of  them,"  etc. 

A  white  bull-terrier  with  us  now  rushed  forth  growhng,  and 
seemed  also  to  leap  at  the  man's  throat,  then  to  shake  himself. 
Now  the  man  grew  calm,  and  we  learned  that  he  had 
kicked  out,  not  a  Pack-rat,  but  a  Long-tailed  Weasel,  which 
immediately  attacked  him.  It  ran  up  his  legs  a  number  of 
times,  aiming  at  his  throat.  He  had  clutched  it  and  cast  it  off 
again  and  again,  but  it  had  persisted,  and  might  have  done 
him  serious  injury  but  for  the  prompt  assistance  of  the  bull- 
terrier.    The  specimen  is  now  in  the  Field  Museum. 

As  long  as  farmers  farm,  they  will  doubtless  consider  it  a 
solemn  duty  to  kill  a  Weasel  at  sight,  and  this  is  one  of  the 
duties  they  never  wilfully  dodge.  We  cannot  blame  them  if 
we  read  of  the  destruction  a  Brown-weasel  can  do  in  a  hennery, 
and,  remember,  the  Long-tailed  Weasel  is  a  Brown-weasel 
multiplied  two  diameters  by  weight;  but  it  is  well  to  recall 
first,  the  havoc  the  species  makes  among  Mice  and  Ground- 
squirrels,  and  second,  that  certain  individuals  only  go  a-hen- 
ning;  others,  of  a  different  mood,  are  content  to  go  a-mousing 
and  a-squirrelling  all  their  lives,  and  these  we  do  not  need  to 
destroy.  That  is,  kill  only  those  that  come  to  be  killed  in  the 
barnyard. 


Long-t£>(*ed  Wea8cl 


871 


The  Long-tailed  Weasel  does  not  allow  us  to  forget  that 
his  name  is  Putorius,  and  Putonus  is  related  to  Mephitis. 
Merriam  says:'  "I  met  one  high  up  in  Salmon  River  Moun- 
tains, September  5;  he  was  in  pursuit  of  a  Richardson  Squirrel 
in  a  damp,  moss-covered  place  in  a  dark  spruce  forest,  and 
stood  bolt  upright  when  he  saw  me.  I  wounded  him  with  my 
auxiliary,  and  he  immediately  emitted  his  powerful  stench  and 
disappeared  in  a  hole  at  the  root  of  a  spruce." 

In  the  mountains  of  Wyoming  (1898),  I  watched  a  Long- 
tail,  hunting  in  the  snow  around  me,  and  in  spite  of  heavy  frost 
made  the  accompanying  sketch  to  illustrate  his  pose  and 
tracks.  His  manner  of  diving  under  the  snow  and  of  coming 
up  at  unexpected  and  remote  points  was  remarkable  and 
suggested  an  eel  in  the  mud. 

Though  the  fur  is  fine  and  of  exquisite  yellow  and  white  "« 
in  winter,  it  is  of  too  low  value  to  be  of  commercial  importance. 
(See  small  Ermine,  p.  857.) 

'  N.  A.  Fauna,  No.  5,  1891,  p.  83.     (May  have  been  aritontntis.) 


i-z 


IflMkM 


M  U  *«IM*W 


im 


^ 


V  i 


XXXIX. 

The  Mink,  Minx  or  Vison. 

PuUirius  vison  (Schreber). 

(L.  Puturius,  a  'stinker,'  applied,  (or  good  reason,  lo  all  the  Weaaela;  i-iion,  meaninK?) 

Mustela  vison  ScHREBER,  1 778,  Saugthierc,  III.  p.  463. 
Putorius  vison  Gapper,  1830,  Zool.  Journ.,  V,  p.  202. 
Type  Locality.     Eastern  Canada. 

French  Canadian,  /<  Foutereau. 

Cree,  Sang-gwiss'.     According  to  Richardson,  Shak- 

washew  or  Atjackashew. 
OjiBWAY,  Shang-gues'-se. 
Saut.,  Sang'-way-soo. 
Chipewyan,  Tfl-chu'-say. 
Ogallala  Sioux,  Lo-chiu'-cha. 
Yankton  Sioux,  Doke-sesch. 

The  word '  Mink '  is  usually  traced  to  the  Swedish  'Maenk, 
though  it  is  not  clear  how  or  when  the  word  crossed  the  ocean. 

The  genus  Putorius  (Cuv.,  181 7)  comprises  Weasel-like 
animals  with  long,  slender  bodies,  short  legs  with  five  toes  on 
each  foot,  more  or  less  bushy  tails,  short  ears,  and  teeth  as 
follows: 


•1-7  I -I  3-3 

Inc.  ^-^;  can.  — ;  prem.  -— ; 
3-i  i-»  i-i 


mol, 


i-i 
2-2 


=  34 


SIZE  The  Mink  unites  these  characters  with  the  following: 

Length,  about  24  inches  (610  mm.);    tail,  7  inches  (178 
mm.);     hind-foot,    zj    inches    (63  mm.). 
smaller. 

872 


The   females   arc 


I'l.ATK  l.XXVHI.      TllK  \IINK. 


UK 


MSSm 


^mbngsigimm 


Mink 


873 


An  ordinary  male  weighs  about  2  pounds,  but  I  have  seen  weight 
adults  that  were  only  i  i  to  1 3  pounds.  The  largest  1  ever  weighed 
was  taken  at  Winnipeg,  November  i,  1907;  it  turned  the  scale 
at  2  pounds  6  ounces.     The  females  are  considerably  less  than 

the   males,   weighing,   according  to 
Resseque,'  about  i  pound  10  ounces. 

In  general  the  Mink  is  nearly  colour 
uniform   umber-brown,   darker  and 
glossier  on  the  back,  and  deepening 
on  the  tail  nearly  to  black;  the  chin 
is  more  or  less  white,  and  there  may 
be   some  white  spots  anywhere  on 
throat,  breast  or  belly,  but  these 
are   very    irregular:    some   speci- 
mens are  totally  without  white.     In 
the    American    species    the    white 
does   not  reach  the  upper  lip.     In 
the  Siberian  species  the  upper  lip  is 
normally  white.     This  animal  does  not  turn  white  in  winter. 
The  impression  it  gives  as  it  dodges  in  the  woods  along  the 
water  is  of  a  long,  thin  rat,  with  brown  fur  and  hairy  tail. 

The  following  races  are  recognized: 

vison  Schrebcr,  the  typical  form. 
lacustris  Preble,  a  larger  race. 
vulgivagus  Bangs,  paler,  with  heavier  dentition. 
energumenos  Bangs,  very  large  and  very  dark. 
ingens  Osgood,  very  large  and  somewhat  dark. 
luireocephalus    Harlan,   larger  than    the  type  with 
shorter  and  paler  fur. 


Fio.  »oo— Rif  ht  paw»  oT  roung  Mink  d. 

(Life  stK.) 

Daftbarau.  om..  Auir.  t;,  iqu4. 


Life-history. 

The  range  of  the  Mink  includes  all  of  Manitoba;    it  is  ranob 
found  even  along  the  sloughs  of  the  prairie  region,  although  it  is 

'  Coues,  Fur-bearing  Anim.,  1877,  p  i8j. 


.r' 


874         Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 

less  abundant  there  than  in  the  woods  to  the  northward  and 

eastward.  .....       ,        j  •    ,u 

ENVIRON-  The  peculiar  environment  for  which  it  is  adapted  is  the 
**^-''"'  border-land  between  water  and  woods,  between  Otter  and 
Weasel  Although  it  can  live  in  the  water  and  catch  fish,  like 
the  Otter,  it  can  also  hunt  on  the  land  like  the  Weasel,  following 
its  prey  into  cover  of  rushes  and  woods,  pursuing  it  over  logs, 
into  burrows,  and  occasionally  even  climbing  up  some  sloping 


HOMK- 

RAN'  £ 


Fio.  aio— Youhk  Mink    '.    (LUe  l 
UctbaraU,  Unt..  Aug.  I7.  t«(H- 


tree  to  get  a  better  view  of  the  situation.  Nevertheless,  it  must 
be  admitted  that  on  the  land  it  is  as  inferior  no  the  Long-tailed 
Weasel  as  in  the  water  it  is  to  the  Otter,  and  many  of  its  meals 
are  of  a  kind  that  either  of  its  cousins  would  despise,  being 
neither  fish  nor  flesh. 

The  home-range  or  locality  of  each  individual  is  probably 
ery  iarge  for  so  small  an  animal.  Its  habit  seems  to  be  that 
of  all  Weasels;  it  hunts  a  given  area  till  the  game  grows 
scarce  by  destruction  or  flight,  then  it  moves  on  a  mile  or  two, 
along  stream  or  overland,  in  search  of  new  hunting  grounds. 
In  this  way  it  will  change  many  times  during  a  season,  but 
always,  I  believe,  keeping  within  a  well-defined  area  that  it 
knows  and  considers  its  range     J  udging  from  the  time  a  Mmk 


MAP  4»-THB  RAHOE  OF  THB  HORTH  AMBRICAH  MIHK8. 


876 


(BUsI) 


'^'i. 


ABUN- 
DANCE 


876         Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 

needs  to  get  back  to  a  given  point,  I  should  say  its  home-range 
was  less  than  5  miles  in  diameter,  and  that  it  did  not  by  any 
means  occupy  it  to  the  exclusion  of  others  of  the  kind;  these 
individual  ranges  may  overlap  like  a  number  of  rings  thrown 
at  random  on  the  ground  and  will  be  most  numerous  where 
food  is  most  abundant. 

Dr.  Merriam  makes  some  remarks  that  bear  on  this 
topic:'  "I  find  that  many  hunters  and  trappers  believe  that 
the  Mink  does  not  make  long  journeys,  but  remains  in  the 
vicinity  of  its  nest,  to  which  it  returns  every  twenty-four  hours 
or  thereabouts.  My  experience,  in  certain  cases,  at  least  proved 
the  contrary."  He  then  gives  an  account  of  a  large  Mink 
that  reappeared  at  intervals  of  two  or  three  weeks  and  adds: 
"This  and  other  more  or  less  similar  experiences  have  convinced 
me  that  the  Mink  frequently,  if  not  commonly,  makes  long 
excursions  like  the  Otter,  following  one  watercourse  and  then 
another,  and  returning  over  the  same  route,  and  I  believe  that 
they  have  a  number  of  nests  scattered  at  convenient  intervals 
along  these  circuits.  This  habit  may  be  confined  to  the  old 
males,  but  whether  it  is  so  or  not  remains  to  be  proven." 

The  Mink  is  one  of  our  most  plentiful  fur-bearers.  I 
should  guess  that  there  is  one  pair  of  them  to  every  square  mile 
in  Manitoba;  less,  no  doubt  in  the  prairie  region,  but  a  suffi- 
cient surplus  in  the  timber  and  lake  regions  to  keep  up  the 
average.  There  seems  to  be  little  change  in  the  number  of 
Mink  during  recent  years.  I  saw  as  many  and  as  much  sign 
in  1904  as  I  did  in  1882.  During  the  last  fifty  years  the  Hud- 
son's Bay  Company  has  exported  40,000  to  90,000  Mink  skins 
each  year  from  the  Northwest.  On  exceptional  years  the 
number  has  far  exceeded  these  highest  figures,  but  the  supply 
continues  about  the  same.  Reckoned  by  area,  about  one- 
thirtieth  of  these  come  from  Manitoba. 


SOCIA- 
BIUTY 


So  far  as  known,  the  only  exceptions  to  solitary  life  among 
Minks  are  during  the  mating  season,  and  while  the  young  are 

•  Mam.  Adir.,  1884,  pp.  65-6. 


^I^Uki 


Mink 


877 


with  the  mother.  As  these  are  strictly  family  groups,  they  are 
not  real  exceptions,  and  the  Mink  must  be  considered  an  un- 
sociable animal. 

The  rudiments  of  the  mud-pie  telephone,  as  described  in 
the  Muskrat  chapter,  are  found  among  Mink,  but  this  appears 
to  be  their  sole  impersonal  mode  of  intercommunication,  and  a 
very  poor  one  at  that. 

The  only  sounds  I  have  heard  the  species  utter  are  a  growl,  voice 
a  deep  savage  snarl,  a  louder  snarl  of  defiance  that  is  almost 
a  scream,  and  finally  a  shrill  screech  when  it  is  in  a  trap. 

Kennicott  credits'  it  with  uttering  a  remarkable  shrill, 
twittering  squeak,  not  unlike  that  of  a  bunnng,  but  this  only 
when  hurt  or  excited.  To  these  we  must  add  the  loud  sniffing, 
which,  while  it  is  merely  an  attempt  to  smell  clearly,  also  con- 
veys to  another  Mink  the  idea  that  here  there  is  something 
which  is  probably  worth  while  approaching  and  smelling. 

Most  naturalists  believe  that  the  Mink  is  polygamous  or  mating 
possibly  polyandrous.  Thus  Kennicott  says:*  "The  Mink 
is  not  at  all  gregarious  and  does  not  even  live  in  pairs.  During 
the  love  season,  which  occurs  in  February  or  March,  according 
to  the  climate,  the  female  is  accompanied  by  one  or  more 
males."  And  in  the  Resseque  Minkery  one  male  commonly 
served  six  females.'  However,  the  fact  recorded  by  many 
observers  that  during  the  mating  season  the  males  fight  desper- 
ately to  a  finish,  is  directly  opposed  to  any  theory  of  polyandry. 

We  are  told,  further,  that  the  females  in  the  Minkery 
"come  in  heat  with  great  regularity,  all  being  ready  for  the 
male  within  ten  days,  and  the  period  of  excitement  lasts  about 

four  days."  . 

The  following  from  the  pen  of  Bachman  illustrates  their 
habits  at  this  season:'  "The  latter  end  of  February  or  the 
beginning  of  March  in  the  latitude  of  Albany,  N.  Y.,  is  the 
rutting  season  of  the  Mink.  At  this  period  the  ground  is 
usually  still  covered  with  snow,  but  the  male  is,  notwithstand- 

•  Qu«d.  111.,  1858,  p.  103.  '  Ibid.,  p.  10a. 

•  Couet,  Fur  bearing  Anim.,  1877,  p.  i8j.    •  Quad.  N.  A.,  1849,  Vol.  I,  p.  as8- 


Mi 


Hrs         Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 

ing,  very  restless,  and  his  tracks  may  everywhere  be  traced, 
along  ponds,  among  the  slabs  around  saw-mills,  and  along 
nearly  every  stream  of  water.  He  seems  to  keep  on  foot 
all  day  as  well  as  through  the  whole  night.  Having  for  several 
days  in  succession  observed  a  number  of  Minks  on  the  ice 
hurrying  up  and  down  a  mill-pond,  where  we  had  not  observed 
any  during  the  whole  winter,  we  took  a  position  near  a  place 


Fig.  Ill— Mink  ilmut  «ir-fifth  n(  life  iik. 

ft  ■!■■  dnwiac  mada  bv  E.  T.  Seli.n  Iof  Ihe  r>«p*Ttment  nf  Aifriculture  in  iM 
•  p«  «»     ■<  J  or«ilholoBi»l  aiHl  MammoloKiM  ia>«.  p.  «««. 


rubOthad  in  t>    Hapcxtordie 


which  wc  had  seen  them  pass,  in  order  to  procure  some  of  them. 
We  shot  6  in  the  course  of  the  morning,  and  ascertained  that 
they  were  all  large  and  old  males.  As  wc  did  not  find  a  single 
female  in  a  week,  whilst  we  obtained  a  great  number  of  males, 
we  came  to  the  conclusion  that  the  females  during  this  period 
remain  in  their  burrows." 

The  question  is,  however,  far  from  being  settled.  Many 
observers  have  seen  Minks  in  pairs  together,  sharing  each 
other's  lives  and  fortunes  to  some  extent. 

Thus  Charles  G.  D.  Roberts  tells  me  that  one  year  about 
midsummer  as  he  was  carrying  his  canoe  around  a  log  jam 
on  the  Nashwaak  River,  N.  B.,  he  saw  two  full-grown  Mink 
travelling  together,  and  evidently  associated.    They  left  the 


Mink 


879 


log  jam  just  as  he  had  done,  to  travel  down  the  bank;  as  they 
came  near  he  stood  still  to  watch  them.  One  ran  by  him  and 
over  his  foot;  the  other,  a  large  one  that  he  took  to  be  the  male, 
ran  past,  some  ten  feet  aside.  Beyond  him  they  resumed  their 
journey  and  took  to  the  water  again  about  forty  yards  below. 
Finally,  we  are  told  that  in  the  Cancandea,N.Y.,  Minkery:' 
"About  the  middle  of  March  the  females  are  separated  from 
the  males  until  the  young  are  reared.  The  necessity  for 
this  arises  from  the  fact  that  the  males  seem  inclined  to  brood 
the  young  almost  as  much  as  the  dam,  when  both  are  permitted 
to  remain  together."  This  is  strong  evidence  that  in  a  state 
of  nature  the  male  Mink  is  a  model  father,  which  necessitates 
that  he  be  also  a  faithful  mate. 

In  Manitoba,  pairing  takes  place  in  March  and  may 
extend  even  into  mid-April. 

There  is  hardly  any  low  situation  near  the  water  where  a 
Mink  will  not  make  its  den.  Long  burrows  in  banks,  holes 
under  logs,  stumps  or  roots,  and  hollow  trees  are  favourite 
places,  but  crevices  of  rocks,  drains,  and  nooks  under  stone 
piles  and  bridges  are  frequently  selected. 

If  the  burrow  is  one  dug  by  the  animal  itself,  it  is  about 
4  inches  in  diameter  and,  if  in  ordinarily  easy  digging,  it  may 
continue  along  for  lo  or  12  feet  at  a  depth  of  2  or  3  feet. 

On  the  prairie  Kennicott  found  the  Minks  "living  in  bur- 
rows, often  6  or  8  rods  in  length,  on  high  ground,  from  which 
long  galleries  extend  to  the  edge  of  a  slough  or  pond.  These 
galleries,  however,  are  not  formed  by  the  Minks,  but  by  Musk- 
rats,  which  dig  them  in  order  to  place  their  nests  beyond  the 
reach  of  high  water  and  yet  have  subterranean  communication 
with  the  stream.'"  Similarly,  he  credits  it  with  occupying  the 
burrows  of  the  Badger  and  Skunk  when  in  a  suitable  locality, 
and  finally  with  frequendy  digging  dens  in  old  ant-hills,  pre- 
sumably because  these  are  dry  elevations  near  the  water. 

At  the  end  of  the  long,  crooked,  ^.-inch  tunnel  is  the  nest,  nkt 
or  nursery  den,  of  the  family.     This  is  usually  described  as  a 

'  Coues,  Furbe»ring  Anim.,  1877,  p.  184.  "  Qu«l-  M.,  1858,  p.  loa. 


88U 


d 


Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 


chamber  about  a  fcx)t  in  diameter,  warm  and  dry,  and  well 
lined  with  fine  grass,  feathers,  and  any  other  soft  material  that 
is  handy. 

Sometimes  the  nest  is  in  a  Muskrat  home,  whose  rightful 
owners  have  been  dispossessed,  probably  eaten,  but  the  lining 
and  finish  are  said  to  be  the  same  as  in  the  underground  den. 
So  far  as  known,  it  is  made  and  guarded  solely  by  the  mother. 

The  male,  however,  has  a  den  of  his  own,  probably  a 
number  of  them,  scattered  over  his  home-range,  as  already 
nuied.  Indeed,  it  is  tolerably  certain  that  at  all  seasons  each 
Mink  has  one  or  two  refuge  dens  at  convenient  parts  of  its 
home-region,  where  he  or  she  can  count  on  a  comfortable 
nest  no  matter  what  weather  may  be  in  possession  of  the  out- 
side world. 


OESTA 
TKIN,  ETC. 


According  to  all  authorities,  the  period  of  gestation  is 
exactly  42  days. 

In  Manitoba,  the  young  are  born  about  the  last  week  in 
April  or  first  of  May.  They  are  usually  5  or  6  in  number,  but 
may  vary  from  3  to  10.  On  arrival  they  are  about  the  size 
and  shape  of  a  little  finger,  pale  in  colour,  blind,  naked,  and 
helpless.  Their  eyes  open  when  they  are  five  weeks  old,  and 
now  the  little  creatures  begin  to  look  like  Mink,  for  they  arc 
covered  with  a  close  fine  coat  of  fur. 

On  June  28,  1883, 1  found  a  young  Mink  lying  under  some 
brush  on  a  sort  of  trail  between  two  ponds  among  the  Sand- 
hills, near  Carberry.  I  was  led  to  it  by  its  plaintive  squeaking. 
It  was  well  formed,  but  its  eyes  were  not  open,  and  I  saw 
nothing  of  the  mother  or  of  any  other  young  Mink.  Why  it 
was  there  is  a  puzzle,  as  this  did  not  seem  to  be  a  nest.  Possi- 
bly the  mother  was  movmg  her  brood  to  new  quarters  and  lefi 
this  in  a  temporary  resting  place.  I  carried  it  home.  Its 
eyes  opened  about  July  i.  Reckoning  backward,  this  one 
must  have  been  born  about  May  29  and  engendered  in  mid- 
April. 

About  this  time  their  eyes  are  opened  and  the  mother 
begins  to  supply  them  with  solid  food. 


Mink 


881 


The  following,  by  Dr.  T.  S.  Roberts,  of  Minneapolis,  is  a 
graphic  picture  of  the  mother's  life  and  labours  for  her  young 
at  this  season:* 

"While  engaged  in  geological  work  on  the  Cedar  River, 
near  Osage,  la.,  my  attention  was  attracted  by  the  peculiar 
actions  of  a  Mink  (Putorius  vison).     By  careful  manoeuvring 
we  were  enabled  to  approach  to  within  a  short  distance  of 
where  it  was  engaged,  and  there  watch  its  behaviour  unob- 
served,    it  was  an  old  mother  Mink  engaged  in  fishing  for  her 
young.     On  the  ripples  in  the  centre  of  the  stream,  where  the 
water  was  not  more  than  two  feet  in  depth,  was  a  fiat  drift 
boulder  rising  a  few  inches  above  the  surface.     On  this  rock 
the  mother  Mink  would  take  her  position  and  here  wntch  for 
small  fish  to  approach,  when  she  would  dive  into  the  water, 
be  gone  for  a  moment,  and  then  reappear  on  the  opposite  side 
of  the  rock,  usually  with  a  fish  in  her  mouth,  which  she  would 
deposit  in  the  centre  of  the  stone  and  its  struggles  instantly 
stopped  by  a  quick,  sharp  bite  at  the  back  of  the  head,  which 
caused  immediate  death.     This  process  was  repeated  with- 
out intermission,  except  to  stop  for  an  instant  to  shake  the 
water  from  her  furry  coat,  until  7  fish,  varying  from  4  to  7 
inches  in  length,  were  deposited  on  the  rock.    Then,  without 
stopping  to  rest,  taking  one  fish  in  her  mouth,  she  plunged  inti> 
the  -.vp'er  and  swam  ashore,  climbed  up  the  steep  bank,  and 
ran  hastily  to  her  young,  in  a  burrow  under  an  old  stump 
on  the  bank  of  the  stream,  fifty  yards  away.     In  a  moment 
she  was  seen  returning,  plunged  into  the  stream  and  swam 
to  the  rock,  took  a  second  fish  in  her  mouth,  entered  the 
river  once  more,  nnd  returned  to  her  young  as  at  first.     This 
was  repeated  uncil  all  the  fish  had  been  carried  away.    A 
few  moments  after  having  removed  the  last  fish,  she  returned 
and  began  her  work  once  more.     This  time,  however,  her 
labours  were  without  result,  so,  shifting  her  position  to  another 
rock  in  the  stream,  a  short  distance  away,  she  continued  her 
fishing.     But,  although  more  than  a  quarter  of  an  hour  was 
spent  in  energetic  cflFort,   her  labours  were  without   avail, 

*  Mam.  Minn.,  189a,  pp.  117-8. 


I 


,11 


i-  i 


884         Lifc-hi8toric8  of  Northern  Animals 

and  she  was  this  time  compelled  to  .cturn  to  her  young 
empty-handed. 

"From  the  bank  of  the  tream  where  egress  trom  the 
water  was  made,  to  the  burrow  fifty  yards  distant,  a  well- 
beaten  path  had  been  formed  by  the  mother  Mmk  m  her  daily 
excursions  in  quest  of  food  for  her  young." 

As  late  as  June  28  they  are  still  in  the  nest  with  the 
mother  in  the  country  about  Methy  Lake,  a*^  evidenced  by 
a  note  in  Richardson's  last  "Journey ":•»  "A  female  ^  mk 
{Fison  lutreola)  was  killed  as  it  was  crossing  a  bay  of  the  lake. 
It  had  8  swollen  teats  and  its  udder  contained  milk;  so  that 
probably  its  death  insured  that  of  a  young  progeny  also." 

vocNo  Soon  after  their  eyes  are  open  the  young  Mink  seem  to 

go  forth  into  the  world  under  the  guardianship  of  the  mother. 
W.  R.  Hine  tells  me  that  he  has  often  seen  the  old  one  with 
her  brood  in  June.  At  such  times  she  shows  fight  facing  one, 
and  uttering  a  snarling  screech;  the  young  meanwhile  escape 
to  the  water.    By  now  they  have  doubtless  abandoned  the 

nest.  , 

One  of  my  Kippewa  guides,  Archie  Miller,  relates  that  in 
a  great  forest  fire  near  Temiscaming  Lake,  in  July,  1901, 
he  saw  an  old  Mink  with  her  4  young  swimming  up  a  creek 
towards  a  lake.  The  woods  were  blazing  on  both  sides  and 
they  were  travelling  up  stream  to  escape,  coming  up  for  a 
breath,  then  diving  and  swimming  under.  They  were  ha^d 
pressed,  nearly  worn  out  indeed,  and  could  not  swim  more 
than  25  feet  without  coming  up.  They  were  the  size  of  a  Red- 
squirrel;   only  one  parent  was  seen. 

Another  guide,  Edouard  C.  Crete,  contributes  some  inter- 
esting observations  on  the  home  life.  He  says  that  one  year 
he  was  staying  at  a  hay  camp,  1 1  miles  west  of  Deux  Rivieres, 
Ont.,  from  July  12  to  22.  Every  day,  for  a  vveek  at  least, 
after  the  15th,  an  old  Mink  came  with  5  young  ones  to  feed 
on  ;he  rubbish  thrown  out.  They  were  there  twice  a  day, 
morning  and  evening,  regularly  until  he  went  away. 

"  Arc.  Search  Exp.,  1851,  Vol.  I,  p.  109. 


%^ 


Mink 


Yet  another  interesting  glimpse  of  the  family  life  is  fur- 
nished mr  by  A.  Barton  Hepburn,  of  New  York.  When  he 
was  a  boy  living  on  the  home  farm  at  Colton,  N.  Y.,  he  was 
going  with  his  father  one  day  late  in  June  across  an  alder 
brook  by  the  road  bridge  when  they  saw  in  the  bushes  to  one 
side  an  old  Mink  with  5  young  ones  that  were  about  one- 
quarter  grown.  They  were  following  her,  but  when  they 
came  to  the  road,  they  held  back  and  would  not  quit  the  cover 
to  cross  the  road.  She  made  several  efforts  to  coax  and  lead 
them  on,  but  they  were  timid.  At  length  she  seemed  to  lose 
patience;  she  seized  them,  one  at  a  time,  by  the  neck  and  so 
carried  them  across  to  the  opposite  thicket,  where  they  con- 
tinued their  journey.  He  saw  nothing  of  the  father  Mink  and 
does  not  remember  whether  or  not  the  mother  made  any 
sounds. 

The  little  ones  continue  with  the  mother  until  the  middle 
of  August;  they  have  now  learned  something  of  the  ways  of  life, 
the  family  breaks  up,  and  henceforth  all  are  seen  wandering 
alone  They  are  now  about  half  grown  in  point  of  weight. 
As  usual,  the  females  mature  sooner.  We  learn  from  Resseque" 
that  they  attain  to  their  full  stature  in  ten  months,  and  repro- 
duce when  one  year  old,  "while  the  males  are  not  full  grown 
until  they  are  a  year  and  a  half  old.  It  is  noted  that  in  every 
litter  one  or  the  other  sex  predominates  in  numbers,  there 
being  rarely  half  of  them  males  and  the  other  half  females." 

There  is  but  one  brood  each  season. 

Fish  are  perhaps  the  Mink's  choice  food,  and  it  delights  rooo 
in  taking  them  by  open  pursuit  in  the  clear  water.  Although  it 
is  inferior  to  the  Otter  in  this  craft,  Audubon  and  Bachman 
record  that  they  have  seen  one  catch  a  trout  a  foot  long."  A 
quadruped  that  can  catch  a  trout  that  size  can  catch  anything 
that  swims  in  the  smaller  streams.  Those  that  live  along 
the  prairie  sloughs  feed  chiefly  on  frogs,  tadpole.  Mice,  and 
Muskrats.    The   latter   it  follows   under   water    into  their 

"  Couet,  Fur-bearing  Anim.,  1877,  P-  '8'- 
"  Quad  N.  A.,  1849,  Vol.  I,  p.  255. 


■II 


884 


Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 


burrows  or  their  homes,  killing  and  devouring  them  in  spite  of 
a  most  desperate  resistance.  The  Muskrat  is  a  noted  fighter 
and  always  dies  game;  still  it  dies  when  it  meets  the  Mink. 

Dr.  E.  Coues  thus"  condenses  M.  A.  Howell,  Jr.'s  account 
of  a  Muskrat-Mink  adventure:  "Whilst  Snipe  hunting  on  a 
marshy  island  below  the  Kickapoo  Rapids  of  the  Illinois  River, 
the  writer  noticed  an  object  which  appeared  like  a  ball  some 
six  or  eight  inches  in  diameter  rolling  towards  the  water,  and 
soon  ascertained  that  it  was  a  Mink  and  a  Muskrat  clinched 
together,  and  so  completely  covered  with  mud  as  not  to  have 
been  at  first  recognized.  At  his  approach  the  Mink  released  its 
hold  and  made  its  escape,  but  the  Muskrat  was  already  dying 
of  severe  wounds  in  the  head  and  neck,  from  which  the  blood 
was  flowing  profusely.  The  Muskrat  had  evidently  been  capt- 
ured and  overcome  in  fair  fight  by  broad  daylight,  and 
the  Mink  would  have  devoured  its  victim  had  not  the  hunter 
interfered." 

E.  W.  Deming,  the  New  York  animal-painter,  informs  me 
that  on  Green  River,  of  Illinois,  the  Muskrat  is  a  regular  food 
of  the  Mink.  He  once  found  the  remains  of  lo  Muskrats  in 
a  Mink  den.  This  is  a  typical  and  extremely  carnivorous 
record,  but  nothing  in  the  way  of  flesh,  fish,  or  fowl  comes  amiss. 
It  is  delighted  with  the  chance  to  rob  the  sportsman  of  a  string 
of  fish  or  a  wounded  duck,  even  seizing  the  latter  before  the 
gunner's  eyes,  and  I  have  followed  its  track  through  the  snow  in 
Ontario  to  read  the  grewsome  story  of  its  running  down  and 
devouring  a  Gray-rabbit.  From  all  accounts  it  often  amuses 
itself  with  preying  on  house-rats  where  they  abound.  All  kinds 
of  birds  and  eggs  are  most  acceptable  food  when  it  can  find 
them.  Not  rarely  it  quarters  itself  on  the  hen  house,  killing 
each  night  for  food,  and  especially  relishing  the  blood  and 
brains  of  its  victims. 

It  will  prey  on  snakes  and  clams  when  nothing  better 
turns  up,  and  I  have  several  times  followed  its  tracks  at  Lake 
Winnipegosis  to  learn  that  frogs,  crayfish,  and  carrion  were 
staple  articles  of  its  diet. 

"  Fur-bearing  Anim.,  1877,  p.  178. 


Mink 


885 


The  Weasel  is  a  sanguinary  little  incarnation  of  fury  and  habits 
valour,  with  but  little  cunning;  it  is  low  in  intelligence  and  char- 
incapable  of  friendship  with  man  or  any  one  else.  The  Otter,  *"^* 
though  a  Weasel  in  pedigree,  seems  to  have  responded  to  the 
elevating  and  gentling  influences  attendant  on  the  fisher-life. 
It  is  the  least  destructive,  the  most  docile  and  intelligent  of  the 
Family.  The  Mink  is  half-way  between  in  habits  and  character, 
as  it  is  in  food  and  haunts.  After  sojourning  ir  the  reeds  along 
the  river  for  a  time  catching  fish  and  killing  Muskrats  in  Otter- 
fashion,  or  running  down  Rabbits  and  Mice  Weasel-fashion,  it 
may  set  out  across  country  to  find"  better  hunting  and  happen, 
in  its  travels,  to  discover  the  real  Happy  Hunting  Ground  in  the 
form  of  some  farmer's  barnyard.  Very  naturally,  it  settles 
down  in  this  ideal  spot — didn't  it  set  out  to  find  this  very  thing  ? 
— this  highly  populated  wilderness  of  buildings  and  sheltered 
nooks  is  perfect  and  here  "every  prospect  pleases — only  man  is 
vile."  The  Mink's  attitude  toward  this  game  preserve  is  quite 
different  from  that  of  the  lesser  Weasels.  They  are  mad  to 
kill — kill — kill;  they  will,  if  possible,  kill  everything  there  in 
one  night,  then  leave  the  ruined  place  to  seek  some  new  field 
of  carnage.  Not  so  the  Mink.  It  has  but  little  of  the  killer 
spirit.  It  kills  because  it  must  eat,  and,  having  found  the  well- 
stocked  henneries,  it  says  to  itself,  "  Here  now  will  I  settle  down, 
eat,  drink,  and  make  merry,  for  these  are  mine  own  preserves 
by  right  of  discovery,  and  I  will  defend  them  against  all 
invaders."  On  the  list  of  invaders  it  puts  the  farmer  and  his 
family,  and  his  dogs  and  his  cats,  and  all  those  that  put  their 
trust  in  him.  From  safe  hiding  under  the  barn  or  in  the  log- 
pile  it  sallies  forth  at  night  to  kill  and  eat;  sometimes  one  fowl 
each  night  for  many  nights  in  succession;  sometimes  it  yields 
to  the  blood-lust  (not  unknown  among  mankind),  and  kills 
half  a  dozen  of  the  defenceless  prey,  feasting  only  on  those 
choicest  parts  of  all,  the  blood  and  brains,  just  as  the  Buffalo 
killer  would  shoot  down  half  a  dozen  Buffalo  because  it  was  so 
easily  possible,  and  then  take  nothing  but  the  tongues. 

Usually  the  Mink  is  killed  before  leaving  the  barnyard 
precincts,  but  it  often  happens  that  a  number  of  narrow 


886         Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 


CHAR- 
ACTER 


escapes  from  shot-guns  or  dogs  decide  it  to  move  en.  In  the 
hours  of  the  night  it  goes  forth,  bounding  with  high-arched 
back.  Its  speed  is  not  great,  but,  like  all  Weasels,  it  is  possessed 
of  endless  strength  and  doggedness,  and  though  a  man  can 
outrun  it  on  the  open  and  outwalk  it  travelling,  its  steady 
bounding  may  take  it  miles  away  before  morning.  As  it 
journeys  it  is  ever  on  the  alert  for  guidance  from  its  nose. 
There  are  a  thousand  accidents  to  turn  its  steps  one  way 
or  another;  the  cluck  of  a  grouse,  the  rustle  of  a  Mouse 
in  the  grass,  an  easier  path,  a  promising  odour  in  the  wind, 
the  wind  itself,  may  each  and  all  give  trend  to  its  tireless 
bounding  and  bring  the  hunter  at  last  to  some  marsh-land 
of  promise,  or  mayhap  another  barnyard,  wherein  it  may 
settle  down  again  to  comfort  of  a  kind,  taking,  undoubtedly, 
its  life  in  its  teeth  while  doing  so,  a  condition  that  it  has  not 
the  wit  to  think  about,  and  if  it  had  it  would  simply  dismiss 
the  thought,  viewing  this  merely  as  a  normal  condition  of 
all  existence.  The  Mink  certainly  never  spent  a  moment  of 
its  life  without  being  under  the  shauow  of  impending  death, 
and  as  certainly  it  never  lost  a  wink  of  sleep  through  thinking 
about  it. 

If  surprised  during  its  hunting  or  suddenly  brought  face 
to  face  with  man,  it  often  rises  up  on  its  hind-quarters  to  get  a 
better  view;  in  this  position  it  looks  extraordinarily  long.  I 
once  met  one  out  on  the  prairie.  It  rose  up  to  scan  me  from 
every  one  of  its  twenty-four  inches  of  stature,  and  stood  so  till 
I  came  within  ten  feet  and  removed  the  top  of  its  head  with  a 
thimbleful  of  sparrow-shot. 

This  species  is  active  and  hunts  chiefly  by  night,  but 
is  often  seen  in  the  daytime,  especially  in  the  mating  season 
and  in  the  fall. 

A  tame  Otter  makes  one  of  the  most  engaging  of  pets. 
No  normal  man  ever  made  a  pet  of  a  Weasel,  but  tame  Minks 
have  often  proved  most  docile  and  interesting  little  creatures, 
capable  of  forming  strong  attachment,  although  ever  ready  to 
bite  when  provoked. 


A    A. 


A  k 


I     k  ^ 


3B^^         ^-— -       "^.»*    jj^ft 


# 


#' 


Fio.  313 — Mink  tracki. 

Wlnnlpegosis.  Man.,  Sept.  2.  1904. 

Th.  four  lame  »"«  •«  «.cUy  uf.  ««.  "<l «"  ""J'  ^r  •  '"y '"««  Ml"!"-  o»'»  I*"" '°"  *»• '»  •""•  "■°"«''  "  ■"  *" 

The'Si'.S'.SS  ir.h.  rtght  Ao.  tb.  otdlnUT  tp-dl-r  ill  .1  th.  Mi-J.  =  .bout  ..  l.clH»  I.  w.««l «  «>i  l>o.«L 


as7 


888         Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 


Resseque,  of  the  Minkcry,  says:'*  "  If  taken  in  hand  when 
their  eyes  are  first  open,  they  are  readily  tamed;  they  should 
not  subsequently  be  allowed  to  remain  with  the  mother  or  in 
each  other's  society.  By  continual  petting  and  handling  they 
become  like  domestic  ratters,  and  have  all  the  playfulness  of 
the  young  of  the  feline  tribe.  They  may  be  handled  without 
fear  of  their  sharp  teeth,  but  they  prove  extremely  mischievous, 
their  scent  leading  them  to  food  not  intended  for  them.  Their 
fondness  for  bathing  will  prompt  them  to  enter  a  teakettle  or 
any  open  vessel,  and  when  wetted  they  will  roll  and  dry  them- 
selves in  a  basket  of  clothes  fresh  from  the  laundry,  or  even 
upon  a  lady's  dress,  occasioning  much  inconvenience." 

The  two  young  Minks  that  I  sketched  in  the  menagerie  of 
W.  F.  White,  of  Winnipeg,  in  August,  1905,  were  half  grown 
and  as  tame  and  gentle  as  kittens.  They  were  allowed  to  run 
free,  but  went  usually  into  their  own  cage  to  sleep.  They  were 
the  most  restless  little  things  I  ever  saw,  their  noses  were  never 
done  sniffing  and  poking,  their  little  bodies  were  never  still, 
except  during  the  brief  hours  of  sleep. 

Merriam  thus  adds  his  testimony  to  the  many  who  advo- 
cate the  Mink  as  a  ratter:"  "When  taken  sufficiently  young 
he  is  easily  domesticated  and  makes  one  of  the  very  best 
of  'ratters.'  He  follows  these  comiaon  pests  into  their  holes 
and  destroys  large  numbers  of  them.  The  remainder  are  so 
terrified  that  they  leave  the  premises  in  great  haste  and  are  not 
apt  soon  to  return." 

There  is  doubtless  great  variation  of  character  among 
Minks.  Some  seem  to  be  born  wastrels,  freaks,  or  'reverts*  to 
their  Weasel  stock.  I  cannot  otherwise  account  for  my  own 
experience  with  the  young  Mink  already  referred  to  as  found 
in  the  hills  near  Carberry.  His  subsequent  history  is  thus 
recorded  in  my  journal:  July  7,  the  young  Mink  brought 
home  June  28  was  nut  in  with  a  litter  of  new-born  kittens. 
The  old  cat  received  it  kindly  and  suckled  it  as  if  it  were  her 
own.  In  a  few  days  its  eyes  were  opened.  It  was  now  strong 
and  its  horrid  nature  began  to  show  itself.     It  c^ten  milked  the 

"  Coues,  Fur-be«ring  Anim.,  1877,  p  183.  ■*  Mam.  Adir.,  1884,  p.  67. 


m 


Mink 


880 


cat  till  it  was  satisfied,  then  turned  on  its  gentle  foster-mother, 
trying  to  tear  her.  Several  times  the  rat  cried  out  but,  seeing 
no  marks,  I  thought  it  must  be  a  trifling  hurt;  still  she  would 
not  injure  the  little  brute,  but  continued  to  nurse  it  tenderly. 
More  than  once  I  had  to  save  oik  of  the  kittens  froni  its  jaws. 
To-day  I  found  the  hens  in  an  uproar,  and,  on  going  to  the 
place,  found  an  old  clucker  rushing  about  with  the  diminutive 
Mink  fastened  to  her  neck.  I  choked  it  oflF  and  put  it  back 
with  the  kittens.  This  afternoon  I  chanced  to  lift  the  cat  up  aad 


Fia  113— Mink  ■«>«*•    (P<™"  '"')■ 

Wlanlpas.  Auk-  «4.  ■904* 

was  horrified  to  find  the  Mink  had  bitten  off  four  of  the  foster- 
mother's  teats,  lacerated  her  whole  breast,  and  eaten  a  hole 
nearly  into  her  bowels,  and  yet  mother  love  made  the  poor 
creature  keep  on  without  harming  the  devil  she  was  rearing. 
All  of  this  ends  to-day. 

The  Mink  has  few  enemies  that  arc  dangerous,  for  it  is  enemies 
a  dangerous  fighter,  but  the  great  horned  owl  must  be  reckoned 
with,  as  is  shown  by  the  following  from  A.  N.  Cheney."  A 
friend  of  his  was  at  the  opening  of  his  tent  one  nightfall,  at 
Triton  Club  Lake.  He  had  been  "  fishing,  and  his  trout  were 
in  front  of  his  tent,  when  a  Mink  came  from  somewhere  and 
seizing  a  trout  in  its  mouth  made  off  with  it,  but  before  the 
Mink  was  out  of  sight  a  big  owl  swooped  down,  grabbed  the 
Mink  and  made  off  with  it  into  the  air,  and  the  last  he  heard 
of  the  Mink  it  was  screaming  pitifully  up  towards  the  zenith." 

»  Forest  and  Stream,  May  7.  1898,  p.  371- 


890 


Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 


BATHING 


II 


When  cornered  and  at  bay  he  is  the  embodiment  of  savage 
ferocity.  Dr.  Coues  has  given  us"  a  masterly  picture  of  a 
Mirk  in  a  trap.  "One  who  has  not  taken  a  Mink  in  a  steel 
trap  can  scarcely  foim  an  idea  of  the  terrible  expression  the 
animal's  face  assumes  as  the  captor  approaches.  It  has  always 
struck  me  as  the  most  nearly  diabolical  of  anything  in  animal 
physiognomy.  A  sullen  stare  from  the  crouched  motionless 
form  gives  way  to  a  new  look  of  surprise  and  fear  accompanied 
w  ith  the  most  violent  contortion  of  the  body,  with  renewed 
champings  of  the  iron,  till  breathless,  with  heaving  flanks,  and 
open  mouth  dribbling  saliva,  the  animal  settles  again  and 
watches  with  a  look  of  concentrated  hatred,  mingled  with 
impotent  rage  and  frightful  despair." 

This  is  tie  picture  of  a  man  who  had  seen  it.  He  had  eyes, 
but  surely  he  lacked  both  ears  and  nos<>,  else  he  had  recorded 
'he  piercing  screech  of  fear  and  fury,  and  the  all-pervading, 
far-reaching,  skunk-emulating  musky  stench  with  which  the 
trapped  Mink  never  fails  to  saturate  the  air,  the  place,  the  trees, 
the  breeze,  and  so  proclaim  afar  and  afterwards  that  hereabouts 
a  Mink  was  held  in  direst  straits. 

When  Mink  meets  Mink,  the  battle  is  worthy  of  such 
desperate  and  valiant  Viirriors,  and  they  meet  much  and  often 
at  certain  seasons.  So  it  is  surprising  how  few  have  witnessed 
the  deadly  engagen'  ''  he  following  description  is  that  of 

a  man  who  beheld  i  own  eyes." 

"It  was  my  goou  ..«*  to  witness  a  fight  to  death  between 

a  couple  of  male  Mirks  a  fortnight  ago,  one  of  the  most  fearless 
as  well  as  silent  struggles  I  ever  saw.  In  one  of  the  largest 
stone  quarries  in  western  Ohio,  a  small  clear  brook  grows 
larger,  deeper,  and  wider  by  the  help  of  the  clear  sparkling 
water  of  many  a  spring,  issuing  from  the  crevices  of  the  lime- 
stone and  flowing  through  little  hollows  and  around  pieces 
of  stone  that  have  been  thrown  out  as  worthless.  In  the  course 
of  years  the  accumulation  of  rubbish  or  'dump,'  as  it  is  termed, 
has  made  a  perfect  retreat  for  Minks,  Weasels,  and  Rabbits. 

"  Furbearing  Anim.,  1877,  p.  176. 

"  Williamsburgh,  Ind.,  Forest  'uid  Stream,  Nov.  34,  1893,  p.  444. 


Mink 


801 


Having  a  considerable  amount  of  dirt  in  it,  the  quarry  affords 
a  paradise  for  such  animals  that  are  in  the  habit  of  burrowing 
close  to  small  streams.  One  afternoon  as  I  was  on  my  way 
to  another  block  to  give  some  instructions  to  my  men,  I  acci- 
dentally glanced  towards  a  small  sandy  spot  running  out  into 
the  stream,  forming  a  peninsula  or  cape  by  the  junction  of  a 
little  brooklet  and  the  main  or  larger  brook.  The  spot  was  bare, 
with  the  exception  of  a  few  Spanish  needles,  and  was  overhung 
with  small  willows.  Standing  within  six  or  eight  feet  of  me 
were  two  large  male  Minks,  eyeing  each  other  intently,  their 
small  eyes  looking  like  coals  of  fire,  and  with  mouth  slightly 
open,  their  backs  arched,  necks  stretched  forwards,  their 
hind-1'gs  close  to  the  ground,  they  looked  very  much  like 
miniature  tigers  waiting  an  opportunity  to  spring  towards 
each  other. 

"The  first  motion  was  a  quivering  of  the  bodies,  followed 
by  increasing  rapidity  in  breathing.  Then  slowly  each  ad- 
vanced towards  the  other  until  i8  inches  apart,  when  each 
seemed  to  be  gathering  all  the  strength  possible  to  make  a  final 
leap.  After  standing  motionless  for  a  full  minute,  one  of  them 
turned  his  head  a  little  to  the  right,  and  instantly  the  other  did 
the  same.  Probably  ten  seconds  elapsed  while  in  this  attitude 
when,  quicker  than  the  eye  could  follow,  they  sprang  towards 
each  other,  and,  catching  by  their  throats  just  back  of  the  lower 
jaw,  held  to  each  other  with  a  grip  that  meant  death  to  the  one 
that  should  let  go  his  hold.  With  a  determination  to  conquer 
or  die,  they  wound  each  other  round  and  round  until  exhausted 
from  loss  of  blood,  when,  spreading  their  fore-feet  to  brace 
themselves,  they  stood  perfectly  still  until  one  of  them  stag- 
gered, then  fell,  pulling  the  other  with  him,  laying  them  both 
down  in  the  sand,  growing  weaker  and  weaker  until  they 
ceased  to  breathe.  When  they  were  dead  I  picked  one  of  them 
up,  and  the  jaws  of  each  were  so  set  that  it  was  with  difficulty 
I  pulled  them  apart.  The  battle  was  probably  of  a  minute's 
duration,  in  which  time  the  animals  never  noticed  my  presence, 
or,  if  they  did,  they  made  no  sign  of  their  knowledge  of  it.  I 
presume  the  object  was  for  one  to  catch  the  other  so  close  to  his 


STORAnE 
HABITS 


SPEED 


8W         Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 

lower  jaw  that  he  could  get  no  hold  upon  his  enemy's  throat, 
when  a  very  short  time  would  decide  the  battle." 

There  is  a  phase  of  the  storage  habit  that  is  well  developed 
in  the  Mink,  and  it  must  be  distinguished  from  the  carrying 
home  of  provender  for  the  young.  The  first  ill;  stration  at  hand 
is  given  by  Merriam,'*  who  found  by  the  autumn  nest  of  a 
solitary  old  Mink  "  the  remains  of  a  Muskrat,  a  Red-squirrel, 
and  a  downy  woodpecker."  I  should  like  much  to  know  the 
three  very  different  chapters  of  hunting  represented  by  these 
three  captures. 

I  have  several  times  run  after  Mink  on  the  open  prairie  and 
found  it  quite  easy  to  overtake  them.  From  this  I  should 
estimate  their  best  speed  on  land  at  7  or  8  miles  an  hour. 
Their  bounds  in  ordinary  travelling  are  from  10  to  15  inches 
clear.  Though  easily  overtaken,  catching  them  is  quite  a  differ- 
ent matter,  for  they  dodge  with  marvellous  adroitness,  and  they 
are  quick,  too,  at  reading  the  little  nature  finger-posts  that  tell 
which  way  to  run  for  a  Badger  hole  or  other  haven  in  the  earth. 

On  October  3,  1884,  while  following  a  Mink  through  the 
snow  in  the  Sandhills  south  of  Carberry,  I  came  to  where  it  had 
tobogganed  itself  down  a  long  hill,  for  a  distance  of  18  feet, 
after  the  manner  of  an  Otter. 

On  the  water  I  should  estimate  its  best  travelling  speed  at 
I  to  I J  miles  an  hour.  This  is  not  reckoning  the  dive  or  under- 
water spring  that  it  can  and  must  make  to  catch  fish.  It  is 
much  swifter  than  the  Muskrat,  but  apparently  cannot  dive 
so  far.  I  once  saw  a  young  male  Mink  hunted  down  among 
some  Boating  logs.  He  might  have  escaped  had  he  dived  and 
swum  fifty  feet  to  the  cover  along  shore,  but  he  did  not,  ap- 
parently because  he  could  not  swim  so  far  under  water. 


STRENGTH 


Its  Strength  is  illustrated  in  the  f  lowing  incident: 
While  Duck  shooting  at  Swan  Lake,  Man.,  October  18, 
1 901,  H.  W.  O.  Boger,  of  Brandon,  shot  a  mallard  which  fell 

■•  Mam.  Adir,  1884,  p.  66. 


Mink 


89S 


on  the  newly  forming  ice.  An  hour  or  two  afterwards  he  saw 
a  Mink  come  from  the  »'  ore  on  the  ice,  which  was  then  half  an 
inch  thick;  it  seized  the  mallard  by  the  neck  and  dragged  it 
away  on  the  ice.  Boger  was  seventy-five  yards  away;  he 
shouted,  but  the  Mink  gr  -  lo  heed;  it  dragged  the  duck  to 
the  rushes  and  disappeare        'h  it. 

Coues  mentions'*  a  similar  case  wherein  the  Mink  dragged 
a  mallard  half  a  mile  to  get  it  to  its  hole.  As  a  full-grown 
Mink  weighs  but  2  pounds,  and  a  mallard  over  3,  it  is  as  though 
an  ordinary  man  had  dragged  a  200-pound  man  for  half  a  mile, 
and  did  it  with  little  difficulty. 

Charles  Hallock  records"  that  he  has  known  a  Mink  to 
come  and  steal  his  trout  as  fast  as  he  caught  them,  until  it 
had  gone  off  with  an  aggregate  weight  of  1 2  pounds. 

This  species  is  not  a  climber  in  the  sense  that  a  Marten  is,  cuu>- 
but  it  can  and  does  occasionally  go  aloft.  Dr.  T.  W.  Gilbert, 
of  Carberry,  brought  me  a  Mink  that  he  shot  out  of  a  poplar 
tree  at  a  height  of  1 5  feet.  In  Minkeries  it  is  found  that  though 
they  cannot  climb  on  a  smooth  surface,  they  easily  go  up  a 
rough  tree  trunk  or  fence. 


All  of  the  Weasels  have  anal  glands  which  give  off  a  very  ??5Jnds 
strong  and  more  >  r  less  offensive  smell  when  the  animal  is 
excited.    The  Skunk,  <<f  course,  is  the  grarH  master  in  this 
department,    mt  the  armameit  of  the  Mink  .      ot  to  be  de- 


spis''d.     It    annot  sc^uirt  ?* 
can  the  Skunk,  but  it  can 
plenty  when  the  proper    ••    a- 
and  this  is  whenever  it  coi 
suffering  grievous  bodily  i 
struggling  in  a  trap.     Men 
stench  than  that  of  the  Skut. 
ecrable  smell  with  which  my  i 
and  is  more  powerful  and  oil 

"Fur-bearing  Anim.,  1877,  p.  179. 
"  Mam.  Adir.,  (884,  p.  67. 


iuid  musk  out  to  a  distance  as 

d  does  pour  forth  a  loathsome 

ion  has    in  its  opinion,  arrived, 

^«!  itsLi.  in  peril  of  its  life,  or  is 

nraged  against  a  rival,  or 

insiders  it  a  more  unbearab' 

=d  adds:"   "  It  is  the  most  c 

rils  have  as  yet  been  offended, 

t      ve  in  some  individuals  than 

» Ibid.,  p.  180. 


894         Life-histories  of  North    n  Animals 

in  others — the  difference  probably  depending  upon  season  and 
age.  In  one  specimen  the  fetor  was  so  intolerabb  rank  <n  d 
loathsome  that  I  was  unable  to  skin  it  at  one  sitting,  and,  I  am 
free  to  confess,  it  is  one  of  the  few  substances  of  animal,  vege- 
table, or  mineral  origin  that  have,  on  land  or  sea,  rendered  me 
aware  of  the  existence  of  the  abominable  sensation  called 
nausea." 


MIGRA- 
TION 


!•'» 


TRAP- 
PING 


During  October  and  November  I  have  sometimes  thou^^ht 
I  saw  signs  of  migration  among  th"  Mink,  but  it  was  quite 
erratic  and  may  have  been  nothing  more  than  the  general 
rush  for  good  places  in  which  to  settle  for  the  winter,  before 
the  frost  imposes  on  them  a  marked  change  in  life.  At  this 
time  I  have  often  seen  them  out  on  the  op^t.  prairie  or  in  the 
daytime  far  from  cover.  At  one  or  two  farmhouses  near 
Carberry,  where  I  learned  that  Mink  had  arrived  after  the 
first  snow,  the  tracks  came  from  the  north-west,  but  this  may 
not  have  meant  anything. 

Though  more  wary  than  Skunk  or  Weasel,  the  Mink  is 
easily  trapped.  Some  of  the  old  ones  that  have  had  painful 
experiences,  become  cunning,  but  most  of  them  are  unsuspicious 
of  danger  in  any  inanimate  form,  and  will  enter  the  most  obvious 
of  traps,  especially  if  they  be  baited  with  the  head  or  blood  and 
brains  of  some  large  bird,  delicacies  that  have  as  strong  an 
appeal  to  the  Mink  as  catnip  for  a  cat,  or  honey  for  a  Bear. 

In  the  fall  of  1886,  I  put  out  a  steel  trap  for  a  Mink  that 
used  to  travel  up  the  old  DeWinton  Slough,  back  of  \  <  berry. 
The  trap  was  set,  by  luck,  just  the  day  before  he  passtJ  that 
way,  but,  unfortunately,  a  ruffed  grouse  chanced  to  run 
through  the  thicket  and  get  into  the  trap,  so  the  Mink,  coming 
on  the  scene,  discovered  a  feast  ready  prepared  for  him.  On 
returning  next  day  I  found  the  remains  of  the  grouse  with 
other  details  of  the  affair,  so  reset  the  trap  in  the  same  place. 
Lutreola  was  lurking  near;  next  night  I  caught  him  by  the 
front  foot,  but  he  gnawed  the  foot  off  and  escaped.  I  was 
prevented  returning  to  the  trap  for  several  days.     Then  I 


Mink 


895 


found  the  same  Mink  caught  in  it  by  the  hind-leg.  I{e  had 
gnawed  off  the  leg,  but  beyond  the  trap,  and  was  till  hi  iJ  by 
the  stump.  He  was  dead,  and  buried  too,  for  he  had  raked 
together  all  the  leaves,  grass,  earth,  and  sticks  within  the  length 
of  the  chain.  Trap  and  all  were  hidden;  only  his  head  and 
his  remaining  front  arm  were  out  of  his  self-made  funeral 
mound. 

The  old-fashioned  deadfall  is  the  trap  that  should  be  used, 
as  it  does  not  injure  the  fur  and  it  kills  the  anima!  instantly, 
*liat  there  is  no  unnecessary  suffering.    The  box-trap  is 
.actual  and  humane  if  visited  regularly.    It  should  have,  at 
•le  back,  a  window  covered  with  |-inch  mesh  wir    netting. 
It  has  the  advantage  of  protecting  its  catch  from  passing 
marauders.    The  steel  trap,  if  used,  should  be  visited  oft  ii. 
The  less  the  creatures  suffer  the  better  the  fur.    In  the  un- 
happy case  cited  above  the  pelt  was  Arorthless. 

The  fur  of  the  Mink  is  a  staple  of  the  trade;  it  is  a  close,  rv% 
strong,  beautiful  fur,  of  great  durability.  Its  market  value 
varies  much  with  the  caprices  of  fashion,  but  it  has  always 
fetched  a  price  that  makes  it  worth  catching.  The  high- 
water  mark  for  Mink  was  about  twenty-five  years  ago,  when 
prime  dark  skins  brought  from  $4  to  $10.  Dr.  Merriam 
records"  having  then  sold  one  of  unusual  size  for  514. 

Mink  to-day  is  not  high  but  rising.  At  the  London  annual 
fur  sales,  held  at  Lampson's,  in  March,  1906,  126,161  Mink 
skins  were  sold.  The  highest  price  paid  was  40  shillings 
($9.60)  each, for  102  extra  large  prime  dark  skins;  20  shillings  to 
30  shillings  ($4.80  to  I7.20)  was  a  more  usual  price  for  first- 
class  skins;  while  third-  and  fourth-class  skins  went  as  low  as  3 
shillings  (72  cents).  But  this  is  a  fur  ol  standard  attractions, 
and  other  furs  are  getting  scarcer;  therefore  we  can  count  on 
a  steady  rise  in  Mink. 

This  is  a  cased  pelt.  It  is  prime  from  the  first  of  Novem- 
ber to  the  first  of  April.  It  is  unlawful  to  trap  or  destroy  it  in 
Manitoba  at  any  other  time. 

■  Ibid.,  p.  66. 


896 


Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 


ir*! 


BREEDING 
FOR  FUR 


i 


During  the  eighty-five  years,  1821  to  1905  inclusive,  the 
Hudson's  Bay  Company  collected  3,503,660  skins  of  this 
species,  an  average  of  41,219  for  each  year.  The  lowest  was 
4,549  in  1822;  the  highest,  90,080,  in  1876.  The  average  for 
the  ten  years,  1895  to  1905,  was  57,729. 

Poland's  lists  show  that  during  the  seventy-one  years,  1821 
to  1 89 1  inclusive,  7,993,719  skins  were  taken  by  the  other 
American  companies,  an  average  of  112,587  each  year.  So 
that  the  average  annual  catch  of  Mink  for  fur  is  about  154,000. 

In  the  year  1889  the  total  catch  was  about  400,000,  or  to  be 
exact,  395,470  were  marketed,  with  York  Factory  returns  not 
included,  as  they  did  not  arrive. 

The  Mink  returns  show  a  steady  general  increase  which 
seems  to  prove  an  increase  of  the  Mink  population  since  white 
men  have  possessed  the  country. 

The  high  price  that  the  fur  commanded  some  twenty  five 
years  ago  led  several  persons  to  try  breeding  Mink  for  the 
market.  They  multiply  readily  in  captivity  and  are  easily 
managed,  so  that  the  project  seemed  assured  of  success,  when 
suddenly  the  fashion  changed.  Mink  'went  out,'  the  price 
dropped  below  the  possibility  of  profit,  and  ended  the  scheme. 
There  is,  however,  every  reason  to  believe  that  this  was  a 
temporary  drop.  On  all  hands  we  are  confronted  by  these 
facts:  the  wild  fur  supply  cannot  be  materially  increased,  the 
demand  is  getting  greater,  the  prices  are  steadily  rising.  The 
fluctuations  caused  by  fashion  do  not  affect  the  main  issue:  a 
high-class  fur  will  always  fetch  a  high  price.  The  breeder  can 
greatly  improve  his  stock  by  selection  and  so  make  all  his 
product  high-class.  Many  kinds  of  fur  are  breedable;  one,  at 
least,  is  sure  to  be  in  fashion. 

For  the  guidance,  therefore,  of  those  who  wish  to  embark 
in  such  an  enterprise,  I  give  a  brief  account  of  the  successful 
methods  of  the  Minkery. 


IMBaSMAB 


t^mg^m 


M^ 


Mink 


897 


Mink-farming. 


Mink  arc  easily  raised  in  captivity,  and  when  their  fur 
brings  a  good  price,  as  at  present  (1908),  mink-farming  is  a 
fairly  profitable  field  for  small  capital.  At  least  a  dozen  Mink- 
eries  have  been  operated  since  the  days  of  Resseque,  who 
carried  on  the  first  of  which  we  have  detailed  accounts. 
This  was  in  the  early  70's,  at  Verona,  Oneida  County,  in  north- 
ern New  York  State." 

The  essential  principles  of  a  successful  Minkery  are  intel- 
ligent individual  care  of  each  animal,  perfect  cleanliness,  and 
moderate  and  varied  feeding. 

A  convenient  Minkery  for  10  breeding  females  and  2 
males  might  be  thus  planned: 

In  the  end  are  12  cages,  in  2  tiers.  Each  cage  is  5  feet 
wide,  3  feet  high,  and  10  feet  deep;  made  of  close  galvanized 
wire  of  |-inch  mesh,  with  solid  wood  floor.  In  each  is  a  wooden 
nesting  box,  18  inches  long,  9  wide,  by  6  high.  This  has  a 
3-inch  doorway  at  one  end  of  thd  long  side,  with  a  sliding  door, 
which  may  be  worked  from  outside  to  shut  the  animals  in  the 
nest,  if  desired.  The  door  of  the  cage  should  be  so  large  that 
this  box  can  be  lifted  in  and  out.  A  long  trough  in  front  of 
each  cage  should  contain  running  water. 

The  two  larger  pens  are  open  courts  into  which  are  door- 
ways opening  from  each  cage.  These  should  be  surrounded 
by  a  tight  6  or  7  foot  board  fence,  which  is  sunk  in  the  ground, 
and  there  rests  on  a  2-foot  underhang  of  stone,  cement,  zinc, 
or  galvanized  mesh  wire.  At  the  top  of  the  fence,  and  across 
the  front  of  the  top  cages,  should  be  a  2-foot  overhang  of 
smooth  boards  or  tin,  and  at  the  corners  it  should  be  3  feet 
wide. 

Mink  are  good  climbers  and  diggers,  but  this  arrange- 
ment will  keep  them  in.  Of  course,  a  stone  and  cement  floor, 
with  a  mesh  wire  roof,  is  surer,  but  more  costly. 

"Described  in  Coues's  Fur-bearing  Anim.,  1877,  p.   181;  Forest  and  Stream, 
October  as,  1874,  and  Fanden'  Journal  and  Poultry  Exchange,  October  15.  1874. 


:ll 


898         Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 

The  two  runs  are  separated  by  a  |-inch  mesh  wire  with 
tin  overhangs,  and  a  tank  of  running  water  at  the  boundary 
affords  bathing  for  both  runs.  These  are  shown  here,  about 
15  by  20  feet,  but  would  be  all  the  better  if  ten  times  as  large. 


Open  Ptn 


Tn    NK 


Open  Pen 


J 


Fio.  114— A  Model  Minkery. 

provided  they  are  tight.  If  they  have  cement  floors,  they 
should  also  have  over  that  6  inches  of  loose  earth  and  a  number 
of  brush  piles,  hollow  logs,  etc.,  to  make  play  places. 

FEEDING  Mink  may  be  fed  exi'ctly  as  one  would  feed  a  house-cat 

—table  scraps,  varied  with  meat  two  or  three  times  a  week. 
Fish  is  very  much  to  their  liking,  and  may  be  given  nearly 
every  day  if  other  things  are  used.  Bread  and  milk,  johnny- 
cake,  etc.,  should  be  added  for  variety;  even  raw  liver  may  be 
given  sparingly  at  intervals,  but  cooked  food,  as  a  rule,  is  safer. 


■a 


mamm 


Mink 


899 


Two  light  meals,  morning  and  night,  or  one  substantial 
meal,  late  in  the  day,  is  sufficient;  and  at  all  times  an  abun- 
dance of  clean  water. 

Mink  may  be  bought  either  from  advertising  dealers  or  stock- 
through  advertisements   in  the   country  newspapers.    They  ''"* 
bring  from  $i  to  $io  each,  according  to  size,  age,  and  beauty. 
One  male  to  half  a  dozen  females  is  a  usual  allowance. 

The  best  come  from  Labrador,  the  poorest  from  the 
Mississippi  and  the  South-west. 

It  has  proved  far  the  best  to  keep  the  old  ones  apart,  gen- 
One  Mink,  one  cage,  should  be  the  rule  for  them;  except,  of  ^. 
course,    in    February— the    breeding   season— during   which  J^ 
month  the  male  may  be  allowed  to  run  with  the  half-dozen 
females,  all  in  one  large  pen.    They  should  be  watched,  how- 
ever, and  quarrellers  removed  at  once.     Females  that  are 
known  to  have  been  served  may  be  removed,  at  least  for  a  few 
days;  after  which  their  behaviour,  on  again  meeting  the  male, 
will  show  whether  they  have  need  for  further  attention. 

As  a  rule,  all  females  come  in  heat  within  t\/o  weeks.  By 
March  7  the  season  is  over  and  the  animals  should  be  returned 
each  to  its  own  cage.  Non-breeders  that  are  sure  not  to  quarrel 
may  be  left  together  in  one  cage. 

After  six  weeks'  gestation  the  young  are  born;  they  num- 
ber 2  to  6.  They  are  blind  and  helpless  for  some  weeks. 
When  about  six  weeks  old,  usually  near  June  i,  they  begin 
to  come  out  of  the  nest  and  take  an  active  interest  in  life,  fol- 
lowing the  mother  and  eating  her  food. 

They  are  now  easily  tamed,  gentle,  and  playful. 

By  August,  they  are  weaned  and  all  may  be  taken  from 
the  mother  and  turned  loose  in  the  main  run.  The  more  they 
are  gentled  by  handling  the  better. 

Their  fur  is  ready  for  marketing  at  Christmas,  is  good  any 
time  from  November  to  March;  but  Mink  fur  is  greatly  im- 
proved by  keeping  the  animal  till  two  years  old,  and,  of  course, 
by  castrating  the  male. 


900 


Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 


PROFITS 


ii 


Keep  the  best  always  for  breeding.  Do  not  use  exception- 
ally fierce  individuals  for  breeders.  A  fast  day  once  in  ;:wo 
weeks  is  a  good  thing  for  fat  animals. 

Some  breeders  clip  off  the  nail  and  first  joint  of  the  two 
middle  toes  on  each  front  foot;  this  prevents  the^ink  climb- 
ing or  digging.  It  is,  however,  a  disfigurement  as  well  as  a 
cruelty. 

The  cages  must  be  kept  clenn  and  the  earth  in  the  runs 
overturned  or  refreshed  once  a  week. 

These  animals  are  exceedingly  clean  and  cause  no  smell, 
except,  perhaps,  when  mortally  hurt.  They  are  easy  to  keep, 
need  but  little  space  and  food,  and  breed  regularly. 

When  the  fur  is  down  to  Skunk  prices  -that  is,  $i  to  ^3 
a  skin — there  is  no  money  in  breeding  Mink.  At  present  the 
market  is  up,  prime  dark  skins  being  $4  to  $S;  exceptionally 
fine  dark  skins  have  gone  jlc  high  as  $1$  and  jjJiS.  At  these 
prices  there  is  reasonably  good  money  in  the  business;  more 
especially  if  the  Minkery  is  on  a  small  scale  and  carried  on  in 
conjunction  with  a  hen-yard  or  a  squabbery,  whose  by-product 
will  almost  feed  the  fur-bearer. 


i  • 

ii.i 


XL. 

The  Marten,  Saskatchewan  Marten  or 
American  Sable. 

Mustela  americana  abieticola  Preble. 
(Muslda,  Latin  for  Weasel,  applied  by  Linnxus  to  the  European  Marten,  Mustela 
martes;   americana,  American;  abieticola,  from  abies,  a  fir-tree,  and  ct^e,  to  in- 
habit, that  is,  'fir-inhabiting.') 

Mustela  americana  TuRTON,  1 806,  Linn.  Syst.  Nat.,  I,  p.  60. 
Type  Locality. — Eastern  North  America. 

Mustela  americana  abieticola   Preble,    1902,  N.  A.   Fauna, 
No.  22,  p.  68. 

Type  Localit\'. — Cumberland  House,  Sask. 

French  Canadian,  la  Marte:  la  Fouine. 
Cree  &  MONTAGNAIS,  W ah-pe-stan' . 
OjIB.  &  Saut.,  Wah-be-jay'-she. 
Chipewyan,  Tha. 
Yankton  Sioux,  Mah-ha-pah-skay-chah. 

The  genus  Mustela  (Linnaeus,  1758)  is  much  like  Putortus, 
but  consists  of  larger  animals,  with  bushier  tails  that  are  half  as 
long  as  the  body;  large  ears,  and  arboreal  habits;  they  do  not 
"•n  white  in  winter,  that  is,  their  winter  coat  is  not  very 
erent  in  jolour  from  that  of  summer.  The  dentition  differs 
r.om  that  of  Putorius  chiefly  in  having  4  more  premolars,  and 
is  as  follows: 


Inc.^; 
3-2 


can. 


lli;prem.+=i;mol.i^  =  38 
i-i    *^         4-4  2-2    ^ 

901 


iflB 


,1 


COLOUR 


90-^        Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 

In  addition  to  the  generic  characterii,  the  Marten  has: 
Length,  about  25  inches  (635  mm.);  tail,  'j  inches  (203  mm.); 
hind-foot,  33  inches  (95  mm.),  (For  skull,  see  Plate  LXXXI, 
facing  p.  968.) 

In  general  it  is  of  a  rich  dark  yellowish-browa,  shaded 
into  blackish  on  the  tail  and  legs,  and  into  gray  on  the  head, 
with  ear  linings  of  dull  whitish,  and  a  large  irregular  patch  of 
pale  h'lff  or  orange  on  the  throat  and  breast.  But  the  general 
colour  ranges  in  any  given  locality  from  golden-yellow  to 
blackish-uniber,  and  the  patch  on  the  tl\roat  from  orange  to 
white.     The  claws  are  white. 

When  seen  in  the  trees  it  gives  the  impression  of  a  large 
dark  Squirrel,  with  white  ears  and  a  yellow  throat;  when  on  the 
ground  it  looks  like  a  dark-coloured  young  Fox. 

The  following  races  are  recognized: 

americana  Turton,  the  typical  form. 

ahieticola    Preble,    which    differs    from    americana 

chiefly  in   being  much  larger  and   in   having 

heavier  teeth. 
ahietinoides  Gray,  a  dark-brown  race. 
brumalis  Bangs,  a  large  dark  race. 
actuosa  Osgood,  a  large  gray  race. 
kenaiensis  Elliot,  a  small  pale  race  without  throat 

patch. 

Life-history. 


RANGE 


IN  MANI- 
TOBA 


In  one  form  or  another  the  species  ranges  from  ocean  to 
ocean  wherever  there  are  heavy  pine  or  fir  forests,  in  the 
Canadian  and  Pacific  Faunas,  and  northward. 

Its  range  in  Manitoba  broadly  coincides  with  the  unbroken 
coniferous  forests. 


ENVIRON-         This  is  one  of  the  few  species  that  really  prefer  the  glooms 
"^'"      of  firs.     It  will  not  rest  in  broken  woods,  it  shuns  the  border- 


Liit-:--7rrp. . 


IB 


K^iA 


■iiii 


Marten 


oos 


lands,  and  the  merest  beginning  of  a  clearing  about  the  settler's 
home  is  enough  to  drive  it  away;  consequently,  it  has  always 
been  one  of  the  first  to  retreat  before  civilization.  It  is  found 
in  all  the  north-western  half  of  the  Province  and  on  the  Porcu- 


Fro.  ais— Rifht  feet  o(  Rocky  Mountain  Marten  $  (J#.  c.  arinm). 

(Life  sixe.) 

Dn«  b]t  E.  T.  S.,  u  MmriM,  Colo.,  S«pt.  ■«,  igoi. 

pine,  Duck,  and  Riding  Mountains.  J.  S.  Charleson  got  a 
specimen  from  the  Carberry  spruce  woods  and  D.  Nicholson 
heard  of  one  or  two  on  the  Pembina  Mountain  in  1879,  but 
not  since,  nor  was  it  ever  common  there,  for  Alexander  Henry 
records'  from  Park  River  in  that  same  region,  November  21, 
1800,  "They  take  a  chance  Marten,  but  the  latter  are  very 
scarce."  This  same  traveller  complains'  that  when  he  got  to 
Icelandic  River,  on  the  west  shore  of  Lake  Winnipeg,  on 
August  13,  1808,  "The  miserable  country  is  destitute  of  large 
animals.  Martens  only  are  numerous  and  there  is  no  good 
firhery.'' 


■  Journal,  1897,  p.  155. 


*Ibid.,p.4sa. 


IHIIIMH 


HOME- 
RANGE 


ABUN- 
DANCE 


^w 


904  Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 

I  have  no  evidence  on  the  home-range  of  the  individual 
Marten  beyond  the  opinion  of  trappers  that  it  will  range  a  mile 
or  more  around  its  head-quarters.  George  Linklater  thinks 
that  two  square  miles,  in  Algoma,  will  cover  the  usual  beat. 
When  food  is  scarce,  however,  it  will  travel  for  many  miles  in 
search  of  better  hunting. 

To  form  an  idea  of  the  Marten  population  I  have  consulted 
all  authorities  and  available  books  as  well  as  trappers  and  fur- 
traders. 

Professor  H.  Y.  Hind,  in  his  "Exploration  of  Labra- 
dor,"' says  that  an  Indian  who  there  took  only  22  Martens  all 
winter  on  a  30-mile  line  of  traps,  was  thought  to  have  had 
very  bad  luck.  In  this  district,  Moisie  River,  Martens  v/ere 
scarce.  The  same  hunter,  in  a  well-stocked  region,  the  Mani- 
couagan  Valley,  caught  57  Martens  in  one  month.  As  they 
were  of  good  quality  and  brought  the  highest  price  then 
current  ($$),  he  was  now  considered  successful.* 

Roderick  MacFarlane  writes  me  a  personal  experience 
during  a  season  when  Martens  abounded  in  the  North: 

"  Many  years  ago,  when  I  had  charge  of  Fort  Good  Hope, 
Mackenzie  River,  I  made  a  15-mile  line  of  perhaps  100  dead- 
fall traps,  baiting  them  with  the  heads  of  smoked  fresh-water 
herring.  A  few  days  later  I  went  to  the  end  of  the  track,  and 
on  my  way  out  I  found  quite  a  number  of  whiskey-jacks 
taken,  and  one  or  two  Squirrels,  while  8  Martens  were  secured 
dead.  Most  of  the  baits  had,  however,  been  removed  by 
Mice  and  birds.  On  my  way  out  I  placed  new  baits  in  all 
of  the  traps,  and  4  more  Martens  were  found  in  them  on 
my  way  back  to  the  post.  They  were  freshly  taken.  On 
my  next  visit  a  cussed  Wolverine  had  preceded  us,  the  few 
Martens  secured  were  stolen  by  him,  and  the  entire  line  de- 
molished. The  brute  kept  around  most  of  the  winter,  so 
that  my  total  catch  of  the  season  was  only  about  60  skins. 
Had  he  kept  away,  I  might  have  secured  between  100  and 
200  skins. 


'  1863,  Vol.  I,  p.  105. 


'  Ibid.,  pp.  47-8. 


■Hi 


^ 


MAP  49— RANOB  OF  THE  AMERICAIT  MARTENS. 

This  IMP  i>  founded  chiefly  on  records  by  I.  Richardioa,  J.  Bschman,  S.  F.  Bsird.  R.  MacFarlaiie,  E.  W.  Nelson,  R.  Bell,  R.  C.  Ysrrow 
A.  P.  Low,  C  Hart  Meniani,  O.  Bangs,  E.  A.  PreUe,  J.  Macoun,  W.  H.  Usfood,  C.  B.  Bafster,  D.  C  Eilkx,  J.  Fannin,  J.  D.  Figgioa,  E.  T.  Setoa 
S.  N.  Ktmmdi,  A.  E.  Verrill,  and  E.  R.  Warren. 

Tha  ioUowim  an  racocniiad: 


Mw*h  imfcawa  Turtoo.  with  it*  6  racM, 
Maaltl*  atnte  Bacfs.    Tha  Htwfottndland  spaciaa. 


MmdJa  tmtrttim  Ilsrriaiii,  in  a  racM.  e«.riMi  and  •itemo. 
MMtJa  Mas*M(s  Osgood,  in  Quaan  uurlotta  bUiida. 


905 


■i 


;l' 


•W         Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 

"I  have  also  known  a  Sauheaux  prisoner  from  Lac  la 
Pluie,  banished  to  Mackenzie  River  fo.  some  crime  in  the 
fifties  of  the  last  century,  capture  39  Martens  out  of  40  dead- 
fall traps  made  by  him  on  a  round  of  a  dozen  miles,  just  as  the 
snow  fell,  --hat  was  what  he  got  on  his  first  visit,  and  the 
fortieth  trap  showed  that  a  Marten  was  trapped  but  succeeded 
m  getting  away. 

"Two  hundred  Marten  skins  was  tlie  hunt  (average)  of 
the  best  Indian  hunters  at  Fort  Liard  for  several  years  when 
these  animals  were  abundant  in  the  early  fifties.     For  output 
1853,  the  late  William  F.  Lane  (an  Irishman)  traded  12,000 
skins  of  the  Marten  at  Liard,  the  best  trade  ever  known  there 
The  next  year,  under  Robert  Campbell,  it  yielded  over  10,000 
and  some  2,000  less  the  next.     During  the  decades  of  the  fortiei 
and  fifties,  the  Mackenzie  River  Marten  trade  was  by  far  the 
best  obtained  before  or  since.     In  years  of  scarcity  the  trade 
has  not  averaged  a  fifth  of  those  of  plenty." 

From  these  and  many  parallel  facts  I  conclude  that  200 
Martens,  taken  m  one  winter  on  a  25-mile  line  of  traps,  would 
be  a  large  haul;  more,  indeed,  than  the  best  Marten  country 
could  stand.  A  few  years  at  this  rate  and  the  region  would 
be  trapped  out.  The  area  involved  would  be  a  strip  2  or  3 
miles  wide.  In  other  words,  if  4  Martens  were  killed  in  two 
or  three  successive  years  on  each  square  mile  of  a  region  that 
was  thickly  populated  by  the  species,  it  would  probably  exter- 
minate them  in  that  locality.  From  which  we  may  argue  that 
6  Martens  to  the  square  mile  would  be  a  high  rate  of  popu- 
lation. I  doubt  if  the  number  in  Manitoba's  pine  woods 
to-day  is  a  twentieth  of  this. 

The  species  is,  indeed,  becoming  scarcer  every  year  in  all 
the  southern  parts  of  its  range  concerning  which  I  have  infor- 
mation. 


FLUCTU- 
ATION 


One  of  the  interesting  unsolved  problems  of  animal  life 
and  especially  of  Marten  life,  is  the  periodic  rise  and  fall  of  the 
population.     The  Marten  continue  to  increase  for  seven  or 


Marten 


907 


eight  years,  until  thfy  seem  ten  times  as  numerous  as  ;i  the 
beginning  of  the  period;  then  they  decline  quickly  for  oi  or 
two  years  until  again  near  zero. 

This  fluctuation  must  be  due  either  to  migration,  epidci  lic, 
starvation,  or  destruction  by  trappers,  or  a  combination  of 
these. 

J.  K.  MacDonald,  of  Winnipeg,  after  35  years'  experi- 
ence as  a  chief  trader  for  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company,  main- 
tains that  migration  is  the  cause.  He  v/rites:  "I  think  there 
is  sufficient  proof  that  they  do  migrate.  A  one 
ally  put  to  the  Indians  returned  from  the  w 
or  fall  was,  *  What  signs  of  Marten  have  you  s< 
but  few  of  these  animals  may  have  been  seen 
winter,  I  would  be  told,  'They  are  travelling  nf 
or  west,'  as  the  case  might  be,  and  so  delinitt 
edge  that  these  Indians  would  go  that  winter 
wanderers,  and  they  never  failed  to  come  in  cc 
These  movements  of  large  bodies  of  the  Mart 
mer  and  till  severe  weather  sets  in,  beginning 
and  continuing,  as  far  as  the  males  are  concer 
as  the  snow  is  not  fit  to  travel  on;  and  then  o< 


ton  annu- 
summc? 
nd  w  hcri 
pre  ious 
ith,  ast, 
tr  kn.  vl- 
d  off  the 

vvith  them 


,0  on 
\'m  in 


igam 


lun 


summer.     It  is  accepted  as  a  matter  bey-»«^  caviJ 
Northerners — that   is,  Hudson  Bay  hunte      -ita      ' 
Lynx,  and  Marten  do  migrate,  and  the  "  ictua 
numbers  is  not  considered  to  be  causec'     y  epi 
in  the  case  of  the  Hare. 

"The  Rabbit  is  always  numerous  where  Lynx  ' 
are  plentiful,  and  it  is  looked  on  as  a  sine  qua  no, 
and  traders  that  it  is  following  up  the  Rabbit 
causes  these  migrations — tliat  the  migration  is,  i 
for  food." 


1  sum- 

\]  <rch 

um«' 

gth*" 

by  all 

Hare, 

'      hriT 
.ive 

'  >rt' 
(lat 

,     jUCSt 


Bernard  Ross  comes  to  a  different  conclusion.  Writing 
of  the  periodical  disappearance,  he  says:'  "It  occurs  in  dec- 
ades, or  thereabouts,  with  wonderful  regularity,  and  it  is 
quite  unknown  what  becomes  of  them.    They  are  not  found 

•  Can.  Nat,  x86i,  VI,  p.  aS. 


»<)H 


Lifc-historics  of  Northern  Animals 


[I . 


B 


dead.  The  failure  extends  throughout  liudson  Bay  Terri- 
tory at  the  same  time  and  there  is  no  tract  or  region  to  which 
they  can  migrate,  where  we  have  not  posts  or  into  which  our 
hunters  have  not  penetrated." 

This  seems  to  prove  that  they  are  not  migratory,  and  the 
aggregate  fur  returns  of  the  whole  country  afford  conclusive 
evidence  that  though  there  may  be  some  local  migrations,  the 
fluctuatior  arc  general.  That  the  .vhole  Marten  population 
increases  ai.  Iccreases  with  fair  regularity  in  periods  of  eight 
to  ten  years.  MacFarlane  thinks  that  there  is  some  migration 
but  that  other  things  enter  into  the  problem.  He  believes  that 
the  abundance  of  the  Martens  is  a  direct  result  of  abundance  of 
Rabbits,  and  when  the  Rabbits  fail,  many  Martens  die,  others 
migrate.     His  remarks'  are  as  follows: 

"The  scarcity  and  abundance  of  Marten  and  Lynx 
depend  upon  the  scarcity  and  abundance  of  the  Rabbit  or 
Hare.  Many  Indians  assert  that  Marten  and  Lynx  (of  which, 
by  the  way,  not  a  few  die  off,  especially  when  Hares  are  scarce) 
migrate,  as  well  as  most  of  the  Rabbits  which  are  not  snared, 
etc.,  by  the  natives,  or  carried  off  by  disease,  and  as  they  arc 
not  uniformly  abundant  all  over  the  five  territories  (apart  from 
the  fact  that  they  suddenly  appear  in  localities  where  they 
had  previously  for  a  season  or  so  been  conspicuous  by  their 
absence)  there  seems  to  be  good  ground  for  the  supposition 
that  they  migrate.  There  are  other  circumstances,  also,  such 
as  an  unfavourable  season  for  breeding,  a  scarcity  of  the  re- 
quired food,  and  the  destruction  by  fire  of  the  extensive  areas 
of  forest,  which  would,  of  course,  more  or  less  affect  the 
abundance  of  these  and  other  species  of  animals  in  certain 
localid*".  " 

IVloreover,  he  does  not  consider  trapping  the  cause  of  the 
disappearance.     He  writes: 

"  The  theory  of  exhausting  any  wild  tract  of  country  by 
overtrapping  will  not  apply  to  the  territories  of  the  Hudson's 
Bay  Company.     When  Marten  are  abundant  in  good  years, 

*  In  recent  letter. 


S] 


Marten 


900 


a  favourably  circumstanced  hunter  will  use  the  sanie  line  of 
traps  as  successfully  season  after  season,  and  results  only 
decline  as  the  Marten  disappear,  and  increase  again  as  they 
cotne  back.     In  this  connection  a  very  important  factor  is  the 


^e^'wm^m 


Fic.  >|6— ktartcn. 
Dnwa  tit  E.  T.  Muo  (<"  <>w  Biologk*!  Siir»r.  V.  S.  DnA.  Af  f.    N.  A.  Fuu.  ■*,  Ittt,  9-  i^ 

periodic  greater  or  lesser  fertility  of  the  female.  The  Indians 
have  made  the  same  remark  in  respect  to  Beaver,  Musquash, 
Fox,  Mink,  and  Lynx." 

The  problem  is  far  from  solved.  Doubtless  it  is  complex, 
but  the  facts  as  known  may  be  thus  summarized :  There  are 
many  irregular  local  migrations  and  variations  of  the  Marten 
population  which,  however,  are  not  large  enough  to  change 
materially  the  regular  periodic  rise  and  fall  of  its  aggregate 
numbers. 

The  M'l".  ir'creases  with  the  increase  of  the  Rabbit, 
but  begins  -o  <;isap  -  -  while  yet  the  Rabbit  is  abundant. 
I    suspect     "at    Mai;   arijne    is    near   the    truth    when    he 


I 


SOCIA- 
BIUTY 


INTCR- 
COMMU- 
NICA- 
TION 


SCENT- 
GLANDS 


f 


VOICE 


910  Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 

makes  it  turn  on  the  greater  or  less  fertility  of  the  female, 
which  may  be  a  result  of  the  two  causes,  starvation  and  over- 
feeding.  In  famine  years  the  females  do  not  breed,  and  in 
years  of  overfeeding  they  do  not  breed;  so  the  increase  is 
ended.  There  is  no  evidence  of  epidemic  to  account  for  the 
disappearance  of  those  already  existing.  Probably  it  is  the 
result  of  many  causes.  The  increase  has  been  stopped  and, 
owing  to  the  growing  scarcity  of  Rabbits  and  Mice,  the  Fisher, 
Foxes,  and  Lynxes — also  greatly  multiplied — prey  now  largely 
on  the  Marten.  Cannibalism  and  starvation  set  in,  and  if  any 
die  by  disease,  they  are  never  seen  by  man  because  devoured  by 
beasts.  Meanwhile  hunger  makes  them  ready  to  enter  any 
baited  trap,  the  trapper  makes  great  catches,  the  surplus  is 
soon  worked  off,  and  the  Marten  are  reduced  again  to  near  zero. 

This  interesting  creature  appears  to  be  the  least  sociable 
of  this  unsociable  family.  Otters  will  meet  to  enjoy  their 
slide  in  a  merry  party.  Skunks  will  gather  for  warmth,  the 
smaller  Weasels  will  help  each  other  in  distress  or  in  hunting, 
but,  so  far  as  I  can  learn,  no  man  ever  yet  saw  two  adult  Mar- 
tens meeting  with  feelings  other  than  those  of  deadly  hate; 
the  one  essential  supreme  exception  to  this  is  doubtless  found 
in  the  moment  of  sexual  congress. 

Not  having  many  ideas  that  it  wishes  to  communicate  to 
its  kind,  the  Marten  has  few  methods  of  communicating  them. 
The  scent-glands,  so  important  to  its  kindred,  are  greatly 
reduced  in  this  species. 

Nevertheless,  the  British  Marten  that  I  saw  in  A.  H. 
Cocks's  menagerie,  made  use  of  the  musk  gland  at  least  every 
five  minutes  as  they  galloped  about,  pressing  the  parts  on  some 
projection  of  the  cage.  The  sketches  (Fig.  217)  illustrate  two 
in  the  act;  both  were  males.  It  is  easy  to  see  how  this  may 
be  a  means  of  letting  others  of  the  kind  know  that  a  Marten 
has  been  here  recently. 

Its  voice  is  heard  in  a  growl,  a  hiss,  and  a  snarl  which 
sometimes  becomes  a  shrill  screech.    Cocks's  Martens  bleat 


Marten 


911 


like  a  lamb  when  hungry.  Its  grand  directive  label  is  the 
blazing  patch  of  yellow,  framed  in  dark-brown,  which  orna- 
ments its  chin  and  throat.     By  this  ye  may  know  the  Marten. 

The  mating  of  Martens  is  shrouded  in  mystery.     There  is  mating 
no  positive  evidence  that  they  are  monogamous,  polygamous, 
polyandrous,  or  promiscuous.    Apparently  no  one  has  ever 


Fro.  117— Britiih  Muteni  rubbing  their  mnik  on  projectioiis  on  the  ca(e.    (From  life.) 

yet  seen  two  adult  Martens  living  together  freely  and  amicably. 
Analogy  seems  to  prove  that  the  species  pairs,  but  the  slight 
evidence  at  hand  would  add  that  they  part  again  in  a  few  days; 
and  the  less  they  see  of  ihe  cutthroat  sire,  the  better  for  mother 
and  young.  This  is  all  so  unnatural  and  so  largely  founded  on 
cage-observation,  that  we  must  hope  for  a  pleasanter  picture 
when  better  study  of  wild  individuals  supplies  more  reliable 
facts. 

A  curious  item  bearing  on  the  relation  of  the  sexes  is 
supplied  me  by  Madison  Grant.  In  the  winter  of  1901  and 
1902,  two  Bitter-root  guides  set  about  catching  Marten  on  the 
head-quarters  of  the  Clearwater,  with  a  view  to  starting  a  fur- 


> 


BS 


91i 


Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 


I 


farm.  They  said  that  they  captured  two  dozen  during  the 
winter,  but  all  were  males,  so  in  the  spring  they  killed  what 
they  had  and  marketed  the  fur.  They  believed  that  the  females 
were  lying  up  and  the  males  were  feeding  them. 

Miles  Spencer  says'  that  according  to  the  Indians  near 
Fort  George,  H.  B.,  the  Marten  there  mate  about  the  first  of 
March.  I  learn  from  the  guides  in  Algoma,  600  miles  farther 
south,  the  Marten  pair  from  the  1 5th  to  the  20th  of  February. 
Captain  R.  Craine,  of  Wayagamug,  Mich.,  tells  me  that  in  the 
winter  of  1894  he  captured  a  female  Marten  on  the  upper 
Fraser  in  British  Columbia  and  kept  her  three  months  before 
she  escaped.  Of  this  individual  he  made  many  interesting 
observations.  She  rame  in  heat  early  in  March.  At  this  time 
the  anal  parts  weij  inflamed  and  swollen;  she  had  a  curious 
way  of  rubbing  them  on  the  floor.  Sometimes  she  would  back 
slowly  up  the  wall  of  the  cage,  tail  first,  until  she  touched  the 
top,  and  from  time  to  time  during  the  night  she  would  utter  a 
prolonged  screeching,  keeping  it  up  until  some  one  shouted  at 
her. 

This  is  all  the  direct  testimony  I  can  find  on  their  mating 
habits. 

But  the  collateral  evidence  of  the  British  Marten  bred  in 
captivity  by  A.  H.  Cocks  (of  Henley-on-Thames,  England)  is 
next  best  thing.  "Litters  of  this  species,"  he  says,  "have 
been  bred  in  my  collection.  *  *  *  All  attempts  at  breeding 
were  extremely  hazardous:  the  allowing  of  a  pair  to  run  to- 
gether was  apt  to  result  in  the  death  of  the  female,  in  conse- 
quence of  one  or  more  of  the  long  canines  of  the  male  penetra- 
ting her  brain,  the  damage  being  inflicted  so  instantaneously 
that  there  was  no  possibility  of  a  timely  separation.""  The 
union  he  believes  takes  place  at  night.  I  give  a  condensation 
of  his  account. 

"At  last  (first  week  in  January),  this  year  we  noticed  little 
mouthfuls  of  short  straw  deposited  here  and  there  in  the  cage 
of  the  female  Marten,  a  sign  of  her  being  in  season.  *  *  * 


'  Low,  Expl.  James  Bay,  Can.  Geo!.  Surv.,  1888,  Pt.  J,  App.  Hi,  p.  77  J. 
•  Proc.  Zool.  Soc.,  December  4,  1900. 


Marten 


913 


Accordingly  a  male  was  admitted  from  the  adjoining  cage 
on  January  5  *  *  *  and  the  pair  finally  separated  on  the 
1 8th.  *  *  *  Young  were  born  early  on  April  22.  *  *  *  The 
probable  period  of  gestation  of  this  species  is,  therefore,  a 
few  hours  over  103  days,  the  extreme  of  possibility  ranging 
from  96  to  106  days." 

A.  H.  Cocks  very  appositely  remarks  here  that  this  dura- 
tion is  a  surprise,  as  the  Pole-cat  goes  40,  the  Otter  61,  and  the 
Ferret  about  42  days. 

All  observers  agree  that  the  nest  is  made  by  the  female  nest 
alone.    The  favourite  place  is  a  hollow  tree,  but  sometimes  a 
burrow  in  the  ground  is  selected;    it  is  carefully  lined  with 
grass  and  moss. 

The  young  number  from  1  to  5;  are  usually  3  or  4,  and  are  vouns 
bom  in  late  April.  Spencer  says,*  on  the  evidence  of  his 
Indians,  that  at  first  "they  are  the  size  of  a  new-born 
kitten,  brown  and  black  in  colour  [not  white],  helpless, 
with  closed  eyes.  The  female  suckles  the  young  for  a 
period  of  5  weeks  and  is  unassisted  by  the  male  in  rearing 
them." 

George  Linklater,  of  Des  Barats,  once  saw  a  female  out 
in  May  with  4  young  ones  that  she  was  teaching  to  hunt. 
This  was  in  Algoma. 

Since  the  young  need  the  mother's  care  all  summer,  we 
must  believe  that  but  one  brood  is  produced  each  year.  Here 
the  positive  evidence  gives  out,  but  help  for  future  observations 
may  be  found  in  Cocks's  notes  on  the  development  of  an 
English  Marten  brood  that  he  reared  in  captivity.  His  main 
facts  are  as  follows:'" 

They  were  born  April  7,  1882.  They  numbered  3  (2 
males,  i  female),  and  at  first  all  were  quite  white.  On  the  loth 
one  examined  was  6  inches  long;  of  this  the  tail  was  i|  inches. 
On  the  14th  the  white  fur  was  grizzled.  On  May  6th,  they 
were  yet  blind,  but  some  time  prior  to  the  20th,  that  is,  at  a 
little  over  four  weeks,  their  eyes  opened.    On  the  29th,  the 

•See  Note  7.  "See  Note  8. 


-  i.l 


iijj 


1    i:  ,) 


f  i' 


914         Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 

mother  first  fed  them  flesh  meat.  On  June  23,  at  seven  weeks 
of  age,  they  first  left  the  nesting  box  and  came  to  the  ground. 
In  autumn  they  were  full  grown. 

One  pair  which  bred  in  captivity  lived  till  their  seventeenth 
year. 

HABrrs  This  is  the  most  arboreal  of  all  our  Weasels.     It  delights 

in  climbing  from  crotch  to  crotch,  leaping  from  tree  to  tree,  or 
scampering  up  and  down  the  long  branches  with  endless  power 
and  vivacity.  One  cannot  long  watch  a  Marten,  even  in  a  cage, 
without  getting  an  impression  of  absolutely  tireless  energy. 
For  hours  it  will  race  up  and  down,  leaping  from  perch  to 
wall,  to  ground,  to  perch,  to  wall,  to  ground,  to  perch,  over  and 
over  again,  doing  endless  gymnastic  feats,  giving  countless 
surp;5sing  proofs  of  strength,  with  bewildering  quickness,  all 
day  Jong,  without  a  sign  of  weariness,  without  a  quickening  of 
its  breath.  It  must  travel  many  hard  miles  each  day  in  this 
way,  yet  it  is  complained  that  in  confinement  they  suffer  for 
lack  of  exercise. 

Active  as  a  Squirrel  is  an  old  adage,  and  yet  the  Squirrel 
is  commonly  the  prey  of  the  Marten. 

It  is  remarkable  that  the  Marten  should  follow  the  Red- 
squirrel  in  all  its  range,  but  hardly  anywhere  encroach  on  the 
territory  of  the  large  Gray-  and  Fox-squirrels — species  which 
seem  to  afford  special  inducements  to  the  active  destroyer,  for 
their  numbers  are  great,  it  can  follow  into  their  holes,  and 
their  weight  is  so  nearly  that  of  its  own  that  it  would  have  no 
handicap  in  the  leaps  from  tree  to  tree. 

Daniel  Hayward,  of  Oxford  County,  Maine,  says:"  "It  is 
impossible  for  Gray-squirrels  to  exist  in  the  same  locality  with 
the  Sable,  as  their  sizes  are  about  the  same,  and  the  Squirrels 
easily  become  their  prey.  They  will  also  outstrip  the  Red- 
squirrel,  and  capture  him  if  he  confines  his  retreat  to  the  trees 
instead  of  entering  holes  too  small  for  the  Sable  to  follow. 
He  will  pounce  upon  and  overpower  a  partridge  or  Rabbit, 
but  usually  takes  the  latter  by  the  long  chase,  which  seeminglj 

"  Shooting  and  Fishing,  Vol.  19,  Nov.  afi,  April  16,  1896,  p.  537. 


mumm 


am 


'^-i:.^* 


1 

'1 


Pio.  iiS— AtlitiKkt  o<  Martens. 
OmnAiHlUk.    CliiHir  la  PhilMltlpkto  Zoo,  dM. 

OlS 


itftta 


I'  5  ■: 


BOTH 
DIURNAL 
AND 
NOC- 
TURNAL 


916         Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 

lasts  often  for  many  miles,  which  speaks  well  for  his  endurance 
and  persistent  running  abilities." 

Dr.  Merriam,  while  admitting  the  beauty  and  grace  of 
the  Marten,  says,  however:"  "Its  disposition  is  sadly  out  of 
harmony  with  its  attractive  exterior.  Mr.  John  Constable  has 
related  to  me  a  most  interesting  and  vivid  account  of  an  affray 
that  he  once  witnessed,  in  company  with  his  brother,  Mr. 
Stephen  Constable,  between  a  Martfcn  and  a  great  Northern 
Hare.  The  Marten,  generally  so  meek  and  docile  in  appear- 
ance, assumed  the  savage  mien  and  demeanour  of  a  fierce 
tiger,  as  it  attacked  and  slew  the  luckless  Hare— an  animal 
several  times  its  own  size  and  weight— and  even  after  the  poor 
Hare  was  dead  the  Marten's  fury  did  not  abate,  and  he  angrily 
jerked  and  twisted  the  lifeless  body  from  side  to  side,  as  if  to 
wreak  vengeance,  for  sins  never  committed,  upon  the  defence- 
less body  of  his  victim.  So  intent  was  he  upon  this  deed  of 
carnage  that  he  was  utterly  oblivious  of  the  human  spectators, 
who  put  an  end  to  the  scene  by  driving  a  bullet  through  his 
obdurate  pate." 

There  is  much  evidence  on  record  to  show  that  Martens 
taken  young  are  easily  tamed  and  soon  acquire  an  attachment 
for  the  one  who  feeds  them,  but  never  become  quite  docile. 
Captain  Craine's  Marten  was  fond  of  being  petted  by  her 
owner,  but  continued  savage  to  all  strangers.  On  the  other 
hand,  many  observers  testify  that  in  the  north-west  one  often 
sees  tame  Martens  following  the  Indian  children,  who  catch 
them  young  and  bring  them  up  as  pets;  these  are  as  tame  and 
playful  as  kittens. 

Several  authorities  maintain  that  the  species  is  nocturnal 
and  many  that  it  is  diurnal.  My  own  experiences  incline  me 
to  the  latter  view  or  both.  Obviously,  it  could  not  hunt 
Squirrels  by  night.  But  it  does  hunt  by  night  to  some  extent. 
No  doubt  at  this  time  it  preys  on  Mice,  but  it  is  so  wonderfully 
clever  at  hiding  that  it  is  rarely  seen. 

D.  Hayward,  of  Maine,  says:"  "The  Marten  is  an  animal 

» Mam.  Adir.,  1884.  pp.  S»-3-  " ^"^  ^°*'  "" 


Marten 


917 


not  very  often  seen  at  large.  I 
have  caught  as  many  as  ii  in 
one  day,  but  in  all  my  experi- 
ence in  the  woods  have  only  seen 
3  alive  and  at  liberty.  This  has 
been  thought  to  be  accounted 
for  by  their  being  nocturnal  in 
their  habits,  but  such  is  not 
strictly  the  case.  I  have  often 
seen  their  tracks  made  in  the 
daytime." 

Roderick  MacFarlane  tells 
me  that  he  has  several  times 
found  Martens  taken  in  his  traps 
on  the  same  day  as  they  were 
set,  in  fact  but  an  hour  or  two 
afterwards,  although  the  animal 
was  rarely  seen.  But  he  also 
adds: 

"I  have  known  Martens 
come  inside  our  fort  at  night  to 
get  at  white-fish  hung  on  stages, 
and  some  have  actually  been 
trapped  in  such  places." 

I  conclude  that  the  creature 
hunts  chiefly  by  day  when  the 
sun  is  low,  but  occasionally  by 
night. 

A  Marten  in  a  cage  is  a  cvmos- 
picture  of  life  and  energy  alert  to  "" 
everything.  Its  keen  eyes  are 
quick  to  take  in  each  new  sight 
and  its  ears  acock  for  any  new 
sound.  It  twists  its  head  on  one 
side  and  peers  and  sniffs  with  evi- 
dent curiosity  at  every  strange 


■Mii 


918         Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 


FOOD 


object.   All  the  hunters  agree  that  this  hankering  to  know,  this 
itch  to  see,  smell,  and  find  out,  is  a  master  failing  of  the  Marten. 

"  Mr.  Constable  tells  me  that  when  a  hunter  discovers  a 
Marten  climbing  about  among  the  tree  tops,  be  has  only  to 
whistle  and  the  inquisitive  animal  will  stop  and  peer  down  at 
him,  affording  an  excellent  shot.""     (Merriam.) 

Similar  observations  are  found  in  Kennicott's  account. 
"The  retreat  of  the  Martens  [he  says]"  is  usually  in  standing 
hollow  trees,  and  ♦  *  ♦  in  winter  they  may  frequently  be  dis- 
covered sitting  with  their  heads  out  of  the  holes.  As,  if  shot 
in  this  position,  they  would  fall  back  and  be  lost,  advantage  is 
taken  of  their  inquisitiveness  by  walking  slowly  around  the  tree 
and  inducing  the  animal  to  draw  its  body  entirely  out  of  the 
hole,  in  order  to  keep  the  object  of  its  curiosity  in  view.  When 
quite  out,  a  well-directed  shot  brings  it  to  the  ground." 

Curiosity  is  a  beginning  of  knowledge,  and  is  proof  of 
intelligence.  These  observations,  therefore,  give  to  the  Marten 
a  higher  place  among  its  kin  than  would  its  behaviour  in  family 
matters. 

What  moss  is  to  the  Reindeer,  what  grass  is  to  the  cattle, 
the  Mouse  millions  of  the  North  are  to  all  the  Northern  Carni- 
vores from  Bear  to  Blarina.  When  we  shall  have  fully  worked 
out  the  life-history  of  each  of  these  species,  I  believe  we  shall 
learn  that  the  whole  of  tl.at  vast  beautiful,  important,  and 
specialized  production  that  we  call  the  Carnivora  rests  on  a 
broad  simple  basis  or  Muridae  that  in  turn  rests  on  the  grass, 
that  rests  on  the  earth.  We  shall  for  each  of  these  flesh-eaters 
write,  'it  sometimes  eats  this  and  sometimes  eats  that,  but  by 
far  the  greatest  bulk  of  its  food  is  Mice.'  This  is  eminently 
true  of  the  Marten.  Its  diet  comprises  partridge.  Rabbits, 
Squirrels,  Chipmunks,  Mice,  Shrews,  birds,  birds'  eggs,  fledg- 
lings, frogs,  toads,  fish,  and  insects  of  course;  but  it  also  adds 
reptiles,  nuts,  berries,  honey,  and  even  carrion. 

A.  P.  Low,  Director  of  the  Canadian  Geological  Survey, 
tells  me  that  the  rowan  berries  {Sorbus  americanus)  are  a 
"  Mam.  Adir,  1884,  p.  SI-  "  Q^  ^•>  »^S9,  P-  '43- 


PLATE  LXXIX. — THE  EXPLOIT  OF  THE  PET  MABTSNS. 
ThcK  wne  owned  by  G.  A.  Paddock.    They  were  extremelv  playful  but  miiuiieToui  when  allowed  their  libertr. 


?      A 


■f    J  ' 


¥.  n 


Marten 


919 


winter  staple  of  the  species,  and  many  of  these  animals  die  of 
starvacion  in  the  'off'  years  of  the  rowan. 

The  Marten,  then,  like  everything  else,  is  omn'vorous,  bu* 
I  am  satisfied  that  Mice  constitute  a  larger  proportion  of  its 
food  than  any  other  on  its  bill  of  flesh  fare. 

It  is  interesting  to  note  that  the  species  never  ventures 
near  the  habitation  of  man  in  the  settlements,  so  that  it  is  un- 
known as  a  depredator  of  the  hen-yard.  In  the  North,  also, 
it  usually  shuns  the  vicinity  of  the  trading  posts.  In  this  it 
differs  from  all  of  its  near  kin  in  America  as  well  as  from  its 
cousin,  the  Marten  of  Europe. 

Each  fresh  investigation  adds  more  creatures  to  the  list  stok- 

AGS 

of  those  that  lay  up  for  a  rainy  day.  It  is  surprising  to  find 
that  most  of  the  Weasels  store  food,  when  they  have  a  surplus. 
Linklater  says  that  the  Marten  habitually  does  so.  It  eats  as 
much  as  it  can  of  the  new  catch,  then  buries  the  rest.  This  is 
true  storage  because,  by  setting  a  trap  at  the  buried  piece,  you 
are  sure  to  get  your  Marten  next  day. 

The  Fisher  and  Lynx  are  supposed  to  be  the  chief  enemies  enb- 
of  the  Marten.  They  are  able  to  take  it  by  open  onslaught, 
therefore,  Joubtless,  in  the  great  struggle  they  count  for  little 
as  destroyers.  The  really  dangerous  foes  are  likely  to  be  much 
less  dramatic  and  obvious.  We  shall  probably  find  that  the 
Marten's  numbers  are  kept  down  by  something  as  intangibk 
as  it  is  unexpected  and  irresistible,  possibly  a  parasite,  a  disease, 
starvation,  some  evil  habit  of  the  race,  or,  as  MacFarlane  sug- 
gests, an  inexplicable  periodic  non-fertility  of  the  females,  a 
non-fertility  that  I  should  not  be  surprised  to  find  a  consequence 
of  over-abundant  food,  which  is  often  as  bad  as  starv..  ion  in 
its  effect  on  the  reproductive  organs. 

An  Adirondack  acquaintance,  Bert  A.  Dobson,  was 
favoured  with  an  interesting  peep  into  Marten  life,  and  told 
me  of  it  as  follows:  November  14, 1900,  he  had  posted  himself 
in  a  ravine  on  a  Deer  path  near  Moosehead  Pond,  to  wait  for 


U' 


•\   :l 


t  ■ 


tii  :'■ 


IM.i 


SANITA- 
TiON 


o<o  Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 

a  chance  as  the  Deer  were  running  on  rut.  In  the  tree  below 
he  saw  several  bluejays  shrieking  and  mobbing  something 
which  turned  out  to  be  a  Marten  that  had  gone  up  to  sun  itself 
in  an  old  crow's  nest.  Every  time  the  jays  swooped  the 
Marten  would  rise  up  and  hiss  like  a  cat.  Dobson  shot  it 
through  the  head  from  his  stand. 

Captain  Craine's  Marten  and  all  those  observed  by  me  in 
captivity,  have  habitually  kept  one  corner  of  their  cage  for  the 
dung-pile.  I  shall  welcome  the  discovery  that  this  rudiment 
of  sanitation  is  found  with  this  species  when  wild,  for  hitherto 
the  investigations  have  revealed  little  of  redeeming  virtue,  but 
rather  tended  to  show  that  this  externally  lovely  creature  is  in 
disposition  absolutely  the  most  unlovely  reprobate  of  all  the 
sanguinary  group  to  which  it  belongs. 

DISEASE  According   to    Hutchins,"    "this    animal    is    sometimes 

troubled  with  epilepsy."  A.  H.  Cocks  also  informed  me  that 
the  British  Marten,  Stoats,  and  Weasels  in  his  collection  are 
subject  to  fits. 


TkAP- 
PINC 


This  fur-bearer  is  unsuspicious  and  greedy,  and  therefore 
easily  trapped.  Three  different  ways  are  practised.  First, 
the  old-fashioned  deadfall,  made  on  the  ground  of  logs  and 
sticks,  so  slightly  and  so  simply  that  a  trapper  can  make  and 
set  half  a  dozen  of  them  in  an  hour.  The  principle  of  this  is 
shown  in  Figs.  220-221.  This  is  the  quickest  and  most  humane 
way  to  kill  the  animal.  The  objection  to  it  is  that  the  Wolver- 
ine, Fisher,  and  Wolf  will  follow  a  trapper  for  weeks,  destroy- 
ing his  traps  for  the  bait  or  destroying  the  catch  itself.  Half 
a   dozen  to  a  mile  on  a  20-mile  round  was  a  usual  line  of 

traps. 

The  second  method  is  the  steel  trap  set  in  a  little  cup- 
board on  the  side  of  a  tree.  This  cruelly  starves  the  animal 
to  death,  unless  the  weather  is  cold  enough  to  freeze  it  or  the 
trapper  comes  often  on  the  rounds.     When  using  this  kind  the 

"F.  B.  A.,  Vol.  I,  p.  S»- 


t! 


Fia  ixr-Sectioa  at  ittdlttt,  Aawiaf  triffer  M. 


Fra.  Ill— FroM  view  of  dndfall  itt  lor  Mann. 


Kl 


922 


Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 


1'^ 
Lt     (I 


trapper  is  much  pestered  by  Red-squirrels  and  Canada-jays, 
which  tug  at  the  bait  and  get  caught. 

The  third  kind  is  the  old-fashioned  box-trap.  When  this 
is  set  with  a  large  bait,  it  ensures  the  M-acr  being  kept  in  food 
and  comfort  for  days,  and  thus  the  -..inper  ha.<  th .  option  of 
killing  it  mercifully  and  getting  its  fi  ',  \v<ihout  iij  .y  by  trap, 
climate,  or  marauders.  Furthermort,  he  n»ay  novadays  take 
it  to  market  alive,  and  get  a  much  larger  price. 

FUR  The  Winnipeg  market  quotations  for  March  26,  1904, 

were:  For  prime  Marten,  large  darl:,  56  to  $12;  large  brown, 
;j53.5o  to  $-];  light  pale,  $2.50  to  $5.  New  York  prices 
were  in  advance  of  these;  $20  to  $30  is  a  common  price  for 
the  choicest  skins  to-day,  and  the  trend  of  Marten  is  steadily 
upward. 

At  the  London  annual  fur  sales,  at  C.  M.  Lampson  & 
Co.'s  (64  Queen  Street,  E.  C),  March,  1906,  21,136  Martens 
were  sold.  The  highest  price  reached  was  290  shillings  {$^o) 
each  for  24  very  dark  large  skins  of  exceptional  beauty;  and 
140  shillings  ($33.60)  each  for  58  extra  fine  dark  skins.  But 
50  shillings  to  100  shillings  (5 12  to  $24)  each  were  ruling  prices 
for  No.  I  dark  selected  Marten;  30  shillings  to  40  shillings 
($7.20  to  $9.60)  were  usual  prices  for  second-class  skins; 
third-class  skins  brought  about  20  shillings  (54-8o),  from 
which  they  graded  down  to  fourth-class,  of  which  92  were 
sold  at  5  shillings  ($1.20)  each. 

Russian  Sable,  however,  brought  about  three  times  as 
much,  and  one  lot  of  8  extra  large  No.  i-A,  colour  black  with 
silver,  brought  the  astonishing  price  of  980  shillings  ($235) 
each  skin.  This  is  probably  record  price,  but  these  8  were  the 
pick  of  12,007  skins. 

During  the  eighty-five  years,  1821  to  1905  inclusive,  the 
Hudson's  Bay  Company  collected  7,006,554  skins  of  this 
species,  an  average  of  82,418  for  each  year.  The  lowest  was 
25,524  in  1829;  the  highest,  177,052,  in  1854.  The  average 
for  the  ten  years,  1895  to  1905,  was  63,926. 


mm 


^^1^ 


MB 


1 


Marten 


923 


Poland's  lists  show  that  during  the  seventy-one  years,  1821 
to  1 89 1  inclusive,  2,611,500  skins  were  taken  by  the  other 
American  companies,  an  average  of  36,781  each  year.  So  that 
the  average  annual  catch  of  Marten  for  fur  is  about  119,000. 

Marten-farming. 

The  supply  of  Marten  has  not  very  seriously  diminished, 
but  it  has  fallen  far  behind  the  demand,  and  the  price  of  the 
pelt  is  steadily  going  up.  Realizing  that  so  fine  a  fur  will 
always  find  a  market,  several  persons  have  made  attempts 
at  Marten-farming,  but  so  far  without  success.  The  animals 
are  hard  to  get  alive,  have  not  hitherto  bred  in  captivity, 
and  are  so  murderously  quarrelsome  among  themselves  that 
if  half  a  dozen  Marten  be  put  in  a  large  cage,  only  one, 
the  strongest,  will  be  left  alive  in  a  very  few  weeks.  Two 
of  my  trapper  friends,  Staley  and  Leeds,  of  Idaho,  found 
thi^  out  to  their  cost  when  they  turned  several  choice  speci- 
mens loose  in  a  large  barn ;  although  they  had  food,  room, 
and  nesting  places  in  abundance,  one  only  survived  the 
first  month.  These  trappers  also  caught  an  old  male  and 
a  young  female  and  put  them  together  in  an  8-by-io-foot 
cage  during  my  sojourn,  September,  1902.  They  quar- 
relled day  and  night,  and  a  week  later  the  female  was  killed 
by  her  companion. 

The  first  lesson  to  be  drawn  is  clear.  This  wholesale 
big-cage-plan  has  not  succeeded  with  any  species,  and  is  least 
of  all  likely  to  do  so  with  Martens.  Separate  cages,  judicious 
management  with  selection  of  the  gentler  individuals,  would 
doubtless  solve  the  breeding  problem  and  open  the  way  to 
successfully  raising  them  for  their  fur,  just  as  similar  methods 
have  succeeded  with  the  Fox. 

While  no  one  so  far  as  I  can  learn  has  ever  bred  the 
American  Marten  in  captivity,  its  near  kinsman,  the  British 
Marten,  has  been  successfully  managed  by  A.  H.  Cocks,  of 
Henley-on-Thames,  England,  and  a  careful  study  of  his  re- 
sults published  in  the  "Zoologist"  (i 881,  p.  333;  1883,  p.  203; 


fif 


* 


924         Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 

1897,  p.  270,  &  Proc.  Z06I.  Soc,  December  4,  1900),  and  given 
to  me  personally  when  I  visited  his  collection,  should  be  of  the 
greatest  interest  to  the  fur-farmer. 

CAGES  If;  the  light  of  these  experiments,  to^  "ther  with  the  results 

obtained  in  various  Zoloogical  Gardens,  I  should  advise  separate 
cages  of  |-inch  mesh  galvanized  wire,  each  cage  about  6  feet 
wide,  6  deep  and  5  high,  with  a  floor,  preferably,  of  cement. 
The  north  side,  with  a  part  of  the  east  and  west  sides  and  the 
portions  of  roof  belonging,  should  be  of  boards  to  shut  off  the 
wind ;  the  rest  open  to  the  sun.  Each  cage  should  have  a  good- 
sized  doorway  (2  feet  by  2)  leading  to  the  cage  n  each  side; 
all  should  have  a  large  door  opening  on  a  wired  alley,  itself 
a  complete  cage,  to  prevent  escapes.  Each  should  contain  a 
few  large  branches  or  trunks  and  in  a  quiet  sheltered  corner  a 
well-roofed  nesting  box  (12  by  12  by  24  inches  long).  The 
hole  into  this  should  be  about  3  inches  across,  turned  away 
from  the  front,  and  should  have  a  sliding  door  that  may  be 
operated  quickly  and  quietly  from  the  outside  when  it  is  de- 
cided to  shut  the  animal  in.  The  sleeping  box  should  be 
movable  and  easily  drawn  out  from  the  outside,  as  this 
facilitates  the  handling  and  tTZt.'^kr  of  the  animals.  The 
floor,  if  of  boards,  should  be  treated  with  boiled  linseed 
oil  and  afterwards  covered  with  sawdust.  Clean  food 
and  water  pans  should  be  arranged,  and  every  provision 
made  for  continuous  and  perfect  cleanliness.  The  plan 
shown  in  the  Skunk-farming  article  will  answer  for  Marten, 
if  we  leave  out  the  two  large  pens  and  roof  each  cage  with 
fine  meshwire. 


FOOD.  They  should  have  one  meal  a  day.    This  may  be  partly 

raw  meat,  fowl,  or  fish,  but  variety  is  healthful,  and  they  will 
be  found  to  eat  table  scraps  and  even  fruit  at  times.  Over- 
feeding is  as  dangerous  as  underfeeding,  and  much  more 
likely  to  prevent  breeding.  One  animal,  one  cage,  should  be 
the  rule.  Everything  should  be  done  to  'gentle'  them,  and 
they  should  early  be  accustomed  to  handling. 


Marten 


925 


About  the  first  of  January  it  is  well  to  look  for  signs  of  the  breed- 
females  coming  in  heat.  These,  according  to  A.  H.  Cocks,  in 
the  articles  cited,  are  usually  two  or  three  short  straws  laid 
across  each  other  in  various  parts  of  the  cage.  They  are 
mouthed  and  slobbered  over  by  the  female,  but  apparently 
are  not  musked.  These,  he  believes,  are  left  about  to  attract 
the  attention  of  a  possible  mate. 

The  male  should  now  be  introduced  and  left  for  a  week  or 
ten  days.  This  is  the  critical  time,  as  for  slight  cause  he  may 
kill  his  partner.  Such  reprobates  should  be  blacklisted,  if 
possible,  and  never  again  used.  Selections  of  the  gentler 
males  would  in  time  produce  a  less  murderous  race.  It  is  a 
good  plan  to  make  the  mating  cage  of  extra  size,  with  many 
dens  and  corners,  so  that  the  female  may  have  every  chance  to 
escape  if  the  male  should  iiave  one  of  his  murderous  impulses. 
She  should  be  left  alone  again  and  always  as  quiet  as  possible. 

In  about  three  months  the  young  arrive  and  should  not  be  young 
disturbed.  When  nine  or  ten  weeks  old  they  begin  to  appear 
outside  the  nest;  at  four  months  they  may  be  weaned;  at  six 
months  they  are  fully  grown  and  should  be  put  into  separate 
cages.  They  will  be  ready  to  breed  at  nine  months.  Castra- 
tion of  the  surplus  males  would  doubtless  improve  their  size 
and  coat;  probably  the  second  or  third  year  will  prove  best  for 
marketing  the  fur,  and  it  is  at  its  best  between  November  and 
Christmas.  It  is  barely  possible  that  skilful  breeding  may 
produce  a  race  that  would  have  progeny  twice  a  year,  and  thus 
the  returns  would  be  doubled. 

Although  a  Marten's  pelt  does  not  fetch  more  than  a  tenth  fd". 
of  what  a  Silver-fox's  does,  there  are  several  offsets.  The 
Marten  can  do  with  a  tenth  of  the  space,  a  quarter  of  the  food, 
and  is  much  easier  to  keep  clean,  so  that  the  labour  of  running 
a  Marten  ranch  is  comparatively  slight,  and  many  more  indi- 
viduals can  be  handled  by  one  person.  If  Russian  Sables 
(which  are  Siberian  Martens)  can  be  got  for  stock,  the  returns 
for  the  same  labour  may  at  once  be  multiplied  by  three. 


I 

J, 
1 


» 


imi 


ft 


h 


ill 


XLI. 

Pekan,  Fisher,  Blackcat  or  Pennant  Marten. 

Mustela  pennanti  Erxleben. 
(L.  Muilela,  a  weasel;  pennanti,  in  honor  of  Pennant,  the  English  naturalist.) 

Mustela  pennanti  Erxleben,  1777,  Syst.  Regn.  Anim.,  I,  p.  470. 
Type  Locality. — Eastern  Canada. 

French  Canadian,  le  Pekan. 
Cree,  Ojib.,  &  Saut.,  Oo-djeeg'. 
Chipewyan,  Tha-cho  (Big  Marten). 

The  name  'Pekan,'  first  recorded  by  Charlevoix  (1744) 
and  popularized  by  Buff  on,  1765,  is  the  Abenaki  name, 
adopted  without  change  (Rasles,  Abenaki  Diet.).  It  is  used 
chiefly  in  books,  but  has  some  currency  among  the  French 
Canadians. 

In  Trumbull's  Natick  dictionary  the  name  given  is 
'Pekani.'  C.  G.  D.  Roberts  tells  me  that  in  Micmac  it  is 
called  'Pekwahm,'  and  Tappan  Adney  that  the  Melecite  is 
'P'gumpky'  or  sometimes  'Pekonk.' 

'  Fisher,'  the  usual  name,  is  a  sad  misnomer,  as  the  animal 
does  not  fish.  DeKay  considers'  that,  probably,  it  was  so 
styled  on  account  of  its  singular  fondness  for  the  fish  baits 
used  in  trapping.  'Blackcat'  is  a  name  often  applied  in 
Ontario. 

"Wejack,  the  appellation  under  which  Hearne  mentions 
it,  is  a  corruption  of  its  Cree  or  Knisteneaux  name,  otchxck,  and 
the  word  'Woodshock'  has  a  similar  origin."' 


'  Z06I.  N.  Y.,  184s,  I,  p.  i2. 


926 


•  Richardson,  F.  B.  A.,  1829, 1,  p.  53. 


iiiiaiinB 


1 


Fisher 


M7 


WEIGHT 


In  addition  to  the  generic  characters  which  it  shares  with  size 
the  Marten,  the  Fisher  has  the  following: 

Length,  about  36  inches  (915  mm.);  tail,  14  inches  (356 
mm.);  hind-foot,  4  inches  (102  mm.).    The  female  is  smaller. 

Bachman  gives'  8i  pounds  as  the  weight  of  a  young  male. 
M.  Hardy,  after  weighing  many,  found  them  8  pounds  to  12  J 
pounds.*  B.  R.  Ross  says  the  largest  he  ever  caught  was  18 
pounds.* 

In  general  its  colour  :.  grayish-brown  or  brownish-black,  colour 
lighter  on  the  sides,  browner  below;  darker,  sometimes  quite 
black,  on  snout,  ears,  feet,  and  tail;  and  on  the  head,  neck,  and 
shoulders  so  much  tipped  with  whitish  that  it  has  a  grizzly 
gray  appearance;  the  ears  have  pale  linings;  like  all  of  the 
group,  it  varies  greatly  in  intensity  of  colour;  the  claws  arc 
whitish  horn-colour. 

When  in  its  natural  surroundings,  the  Fisher  suggests  a 
big  black  cat  with  bushy  tail,  or  else  a  black  Fox,  according  as 
it  is  seen  in  the  trees  or  on  the  ground. 

Two  races  are  recognized: 

pennanti  Erxleben,  thf      pical  form. 
pact  fie  a  Rhoads,  with  larger  skull  and  upper  molars, 
also  some  colour  differences. 

LlfE-HISTORV. 


1 

I, 


V 


The  Fisher  is  found  in  the  great  pine  and  spruce  forests  banoe 
from  Maine  to  latitude  62"  on  the  Mackenzie  River  and  west 
to  the  Pacific  Ocean. 

In  Manitoba  it  is  rare.  W.  R.  Hine  saw  one  killed  on  the 
Assiniboine,  near  Headingly,  some  years  ago,  and  had  another 
from  the  Seine  beyond  Point  du  Chcne.  I  found  it  in  the  pine 
forest  about  Rat  Portage,  and  have  seen  one  or  two  brought 
from  the  region  between  Lakes  Manitoba  and  Winnipeg. 


•  Q.  N.  A.,  X849, 1,  p.  309. 
•Cm.  Nat,  1861,  VI,  p.  34. 


*  Shooting  and  Fishing,  April  13, 1899,  p.  5^6. 


928         Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 


:u 


h^: 


ENVIRON 
M£NT 


INDIVID- 
UAL 
RANGE 


The  Indians  tell  me  that  it  is  found  on  the  eastern  part  of  the 
north  coast  of  Lake  Winnipegosis,  and  on  the  south  side  of 
Dawson's  Bay,  but  not  elsewhere  in  that  country.  A.  Henry 
reports:*  "November  21,  1800,  few  Fishers  along  upper  Red 
River." 

It  is  essentially  a  forest  animal,  living  on  the  ground  or 
in  the  trees,  but  is  not  known  to  burrow,  or  habitually  take 
refuge  in  holes  underground.  This,  no  doubt,  is  a  weak  place 
in  its  endowment;  it  must  disappear  with  the  forests.  Only 
those  forest  animals  that  are  also  undergound  species  are  able 
to  hold  their  own  against  the  axe  of  the  pioneer.  Good 
examples  of  this  are  seen  in  the  Woodchuck,  the  Red-squirrel, 
and  the  Chipmunk. 

Although  not  aquatic,  it  seems  to  prefer  the  neighbourhood 
of  swamps,  especially  if  these  be  among  large  timber.  In  the 
Bitter-roots  of  Idaho  I  found  it  following  the  bed  of  a  stream 
that  was  nearly  dry.  The  trappers  on  the  Ottawa  tell  me  that 
it  lives  much  more  on  the  ground  there  than  in  the  trees,  and 
that  it  follows  regular  runways. 

George  Linklater,  the  Des  Barats  guide,  believes  that 
the  home-range  of  the  individual  Fisher  is  smaller  than  that 
of  the  Marten.  This  hardly  comports  with  the  family 
habit,  as  their  range  usually  corresponds  closely  with  their 
size. 

Madison  Grant  tells  me  that  one  of  his  British  Columbia 
guides  had  a  number  of  experiences  with  a  large  Fisher  that 
appeared  in  his  locality  about  every  ten  or  fifteen  days,  ap- 
parently absent  during  the  interval.  No  doubt,  it  had  a  very 
small  home-range  while  about  the  camp,  but  during  the  two 
weeks  elsewhere  it  probably  changed  its  home  locality  half  a 
dozen  times.  These  observations  tend  to  show  that  it  has  a 
certain  beat,  as  have  the  Otter  and  Mink,  a  circle  of  perhaps  a 
dozen  miles  around,  along  which  it  has  dens,  that  it  frequents 
in  turn. 

•  Journal,  18Q7,  p.  I55- 


n 


MAP  50— RAHOB  OF  THE  FISHER  AHD  ITS  TWO  RACES. 

Mmtltim  ttmrniH 'BrMbn 
Founded  chkfljr  00  ncordi  by  I-  Richardaon,  B.  R.  Kam,  Anduboa  k  Bachmui,  E.  W.  Ndioa,  C  H.  TowdkimI,  R.  UacFariaac,  J.  A. 
Alloi,  S.  N.  Rbotdi,  L.  M.  Tuner,  A.  P.  Low,  O.  Baoft,  C  Hut  lierrUm,  J.  Fmnnin,  ud  E.  T.  Setoo. 

920 


11 


1   "1 


ABUN- 
DANCE 


930 


Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 


Nowhere  in  all  its  extensive  range  can  the  Fisher  be 
styled  abundant,  yet  Hardy  says:'  "It  is  by  no  means  a  rare 
animal  in  Maine,  being  about  as  plentiful  back  from  the  settle- 
ments as  Otter.  When  in  the  fur-trade  I  used  to  buy  175  to 
200  skins  annually.  While  these  were  not  all  taken  in  Maine, 
I  think,  from  the  best  data  I  could  get,  that  the  annual  catch 
of  Maine  was  1 50  to  300.  The  catch  varies  greatly  in  different 
years,  just  as  that  of  Sable  does,  as  some  years  both  take  bait 
better  than  others." 


MATING 


NEST 


YOUNG 


The  mating  is  believed  to  take  place  about  the  first  of 
March,  and  I  find  among  trappers  a  prevailing  opinion  that  the 
species  pairs. 

The  animal  is  so  scarce,  and  its  nest  so  well  concealed,  that 
the  latter  has  but  rarely  been  found.  It  is  usually  made  in  a 
hollow  tree  at  considerable  height  from  the  ground,  30  or  40 
feet,  but  has  been  found  in  logs  and  rocky  crevices.  Although 
a  Fisher  is  larger  bodied  than  a  Fox,  it  can  readily  enter  a  hole 
but  4  or  5  inches  in  diameter. 

The  young  are  born  about  the  first  of  May.  They  number 
irom  I  to  5,  2  to  3  being  usual.  The  only  litter  I  ever  saw  con- 
sisted of  3. 

In  May,  1899,  a  nest  was  discovered  by  some  Indians  in 
the  woods  north  of  Lake  Winnipeg.  It  was,  as  usual,  in  the 
hollow  of  a  standing  tree  and  about  4  feet  up.  The  young,  3 
in  number,  were  bought  by  N.  E.  Skinner,  in  whose  possession 
I  saw  them  at  Winnipeg  on  August  7  of  that  year.  They  were 
then  about  half  grown  and  exceedingly  playful.  They  showed 
plainly  their  Marten  affinities,- and  yet  had  a  close  resemblance 
to  a  family  of  Silver-foxes,  consequently  I  was  not  surprised  to 
read  in  Kennicott's  account  that  the  species  has  in  some  parts 
been  called  the  'Black-fox.' 

While  quite  small  the  young  appear  to  quit  the  nest  and 
follow  the  mother,  like  young  Martens.  Professor  Spencer  F. 
Baird  tells'  of  an  old  female  and  one  well-grown  young  one 

'  See  Note  4.  *  Aud.  &  Bach.,  Quad.  N.  A.,  1849,  Vol.  I,  pp.  3i>-i3. 


■mil 


Fisher 


Ml 


that  were  treed  in  the  Peter  Mountains,  6  miles  above  Harris- 
burg,  Pa.,  about  the  first  of  February.  There  was  a  most 
desperate  fight  before  "the  old  one  was  killed,  after  having 
beaten  oflF  the  dogs,  to  whose  assistance  the  hunters  were 
obliged  to  come." 

The  young  one  was  taken  alive;  the  old  one  proved  a 
female.  She  was  "no  doubt  the  mother  of  the  one  that  was 
captured,  and  probably  died  in  hope  of  saving  her  young." 

So  far  as  is  known,  the  young  do  not  usually  continue  so 
long  with  the  mother;  and  the  father  takes  no  part  in  rearing 
them. 

But  one  brood  is  produced  each  year. 

Like  most  Weasels,  this  is  neither  sociable  nor  grega-  soaA- 
rioub.    I  never  heard  of  anything  like  a  social  gathering 
of  Fishers.     They  have,  therefore,  but  few  methods  of  in- 
tercommunication. 

Its  vocal  powers  are  fairly  developed.    Those  from  which  voice 
I  made  the  sketches,  uttered  an  occasional  snarl  at  each  other. 
"A  Maine  trapper  writes:    'Their  noise  is  like  a  child  when  it 
cries  in  a  mournful  tone,  and  again  it  makes  a  short,  sharp 
whistle.'"* 

Bachman  describes"  a  male  that  was  treed,  as  "showing 
his  teeth  and  growling  at  the  same  time  *  *  ♦  elevating 
his  back  in  the  manner  of  an  angry  cat,"  and  another  as  "very 
spiteful,  growling,  snarling,  spitting  when  approached,"  and 
emitting  "a  rather  strong  musky  odour." 

1  he  Fisher  is  a  true  Marten,  endowed  with  all  the  tricks,  habits 
activity,  and  the  peculiarities  of  the  race.  It  is  probably  our 
most  active  arboreal  animal.  The  Squirrel  is  considered  a 
marvel  of  agility,  but  the  Marten  can  catch  the  Squirrel  and  the 
Fisher  can  catch  the  Marten,  so  that  we  have  here  a  scale  of 
high-class  agility,  with  the  Fisher  as  superlative.     L.  War- 

*  J.  G.  R.,  of  Bethel,  Me.,  Forest  and  Stream,  June  34, 1886. 
"  Quad.  N.  A.,  1849,  Vol.  I,  pp.  310  and  31a. 


Hi 


iMf 


am 


934         Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 


i 


I 


1 


lu'4 

If 


field,  after  much  experience,  says"  this  animal  is  capable  of 
"jumping  from  tree  to  tree  like  a  Squirrel,  clearing  a  distance 
of  40  feet  on  a  descending  leap  and  never  failing  a  secure 
grip."  And  there  are  several  records  of  Fitihers  leaping  to  the 
ground  from  a  height  of  40  feet. 

In  descending  a  tree  it  often  comes  down  head  first.  But 
for  the  Monkeys  and  some  others,  we  might  believe  it  a  rule  that 
no  creature  is  truly  at  home  in  the  upper  world  till  it  c^n  come 
down  head  first  when  it  likes. 

Though  so  active  in  the  tree  tops,  it  is  equally  at  home  on 
the  ground,  and  is  so  indefatigable  and  long-winded  that  it  is 
known  to  run  down  Rabbits  and  Hares  in  open  chase.  If  only 
it  could  swim  and  dive  well,  it  would  be  the  most  wonderfully 
equipped  animal  in  the  world. 

It  has  much  of  the  blind  pertinacity  of  the  smaller  Weasels. 
When  I  was  at  Rat  Portage,  in  October,  1886,  an  Indian  brought 
in  a  superb  Fisher,  fresh  killed.  He  saw  the  animal  chising  a 
Hare.  The  Hare,  with  the  pursuer  close  behind,  circlf  d  about 
him.  He  saw  the  Fisher  several  times,  but  could  ge'.  no  shot 
until  the  very  moment  when  it  sprang  on  the  Hare,  then  he 
fired  and  killed  both  animals  with  the  same  charge. 


COURAGE 


Its  courage,  too,  is  of  a  high  order.  In  my  early  days  I 
more  than  once  was  told  of  Fishers — or  Blackcats,  as  they  were 
called  in  Ontario — which  attacked  boys  and  dogs  that  had 
disturbed  them.  I  never  saw  one  of  these  attacks,  but  they 
were  generally  believed  in,  for  all  the  hunters  and  trappers 
entertain  great  respect  for  the  prowess  of  this  remarkable 
animal. 


WOLVER- 
INE-UKE 
HABIT 


Though  a  Marten  in  most  things,  the  Fisher  has  many 
tricks  in  common  with  the  Wolverine.  According  to  Hardy," 
one  of  our  best  authorities  on  the  species,  Fishers  often  follow 
up  a  line  of  Sable  traps  to  destroy  them,  stealing  the  bait,  or 
eating  any  Sable  caught  in  them.  "Usually,"  he  says,  "they 
tear  down  the  boxing  or  take  off  the  covering  from  the  log 

"  Quoted  in  Merriam's  Mam.  Adir,  1884,  p.  49.  ■*  Sr:  Note  4. 


mm 


mmmm 


^j-gJH 


Fio.  itt—lilt  MwOn  nl  FUwr. 
I  iiMcianH  Inm  Malna ;  tlw  young  fiom  Mu  Wiaaipa(. 


«88 


HHiiiliiliiiHi 


iBIil 


9S4 


Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 


'^1 


traps,  and  reach  in  above  the  fall  and  spring  the  trap.  I  have 
had  a  Fisher  remove  a  piece  of  water-soaked  wood  from  the  top 
of  a  trap,  set  for  him,  which  would  weigh  a  great  deal  more 
than  he  would,  then  spring  the  trap.  If  log  traps  are  set  in 
hollow  trees  or  stubs,  they  cannot  fool  with  them,  and  most 
hunters  consider  them  surer  than  steel  traps." 

These  details  are  corroborated  by  Dr.  Merriam,  but  he 
adds"  that  the  Fisher  is  "said  to  be  less  objectionable  than 
the  Wolverine  in  one  particular,  /.  e.,  it  leaves  the  traps  where 
it  finds  them,  while  the  other  blackleg  lugs  them  of!  and  hides 
them." 

B.  R.  Ross's  account"  of  the  immense  Fisher  that  he 
caught  at  Riviere  d'Argcnt  (Slave  River  Delta,  15  miles  from 
Fort  Resolution)  might  easily  refer  to  the  Wolverine.  He  s?ys: 
"For  about  two  weeks  it  had  been  'iifestinp  my  Marten  road, 
tearing  down  the  traps  and  devouring  the  baits.  So,  resol* 
to  destroy  it,  I  made  a  strong  wooden  trap.  It  climbed  ■•-■< 
this,  entered  from  ?bove,  and  ate  the  meat.  A  gun  was  next 
set,  but  with  no  better  success.  It  cut  the  line  and  ran  off 
with  the  bone  that  was  tied  to  the  end  of  it.  As  a  dernier 
ressort  I  put  a  steel  trap  in  the  middle  of  the  road,  covered 
it  carefully,  and  set  a  bait  at  some  distance  on  each  side. 
Into  this  it  stumbled.  From  the  size  of  its  footprints  my  im- 
pression all  along  was  that  it  was  a  small  Wolverine  that  was 
annoying  me,  and  I  was  surprised  to  find  it  to  be  a  Fisher.  It 
showed  good  fight,  hissed  at  me  much  like  an  enraged  cat, 
biting  at  the  iron  trap,  and  snapping  at  my  legs.  A  blow  on  the 
nose  turned  it  over,  when  I  completed  its  death  by  compres- 
sing the  heart  with  my  foot  until  it  ceased  to  beat.  The  skin, 
when  stretched  for  drying,  was  fully  as  large  as  a  middle-sized 
Otter  and  very  strong,  in  this  respect  resembling  that  of  the 
Wolverine." 


COON- 

UKE 

HABIT 


In  the  Northern  States  and  in  southern  Canada  the  ranges 
of  the  Coon  and  Fisher  overlap.  In  this  common  strip  the 
Coon  hunters  quite  often  tree  the  Fisher,  for  the  haunts  and 

"  Mam.  Adir.,  1884,  p.  4S  "  Oui.  Nat.,  VI,  i86t,  p.  »4. 


Fisher 


9SA 


behaviour  of  the  two  animals  arc  so  much  alilce  that  the  oldest 
hunters  cannot  tell  from  the  race,  or  from  the  dogs,  which 
animal  has  been  started. 

Some  interesting  observations  on  this  head  are  contributed 
by  Bachman:"  "Whilst  residing  [he  says]  in  the  northern 
part  of  our  native  State  (New  York),  thirty-five  years  ago 
[about  1 8 14],  the  hunters  were  in  the  habit  of  bringing  us  two 
or  three  specimens  of  this  Marten  in  the  course  of  a  winter. 
They  obtained  them  by  following  their  tracks  in  the  a:iow, 
when  the  animals  had  been  out  in  quest  of  food  on  the  previous 
night,  thus  tracing  them  to  the  hollow  trees  in  which  they  were 
concealed,  which  they  chopped  down.  They  informed  us  that 
as  a  tree  was  falling  the  Fisher  would  dart  from  the  hollow, 
which  was  often  50  feet  from  the  ground,  and  leap  into  the 
snow,  when  the  dogs  usually  seized  and  killed  them,  although 
not  without  a  hard  struggle,  as  the  Fisher  was  infinitely 
more  dangerous  to  their  hounds  than  either  the  Gray-  or 
Red-fox." 

When  caught  in  a  steel  trap,  the  Pekan  has  frequently 
been  known  to  foot  itself— that  is,  gnaw  oflF  the  imprisoned  limb 
—realizing  that  it  is  better  to  go  through  a  long  life  halt  and 
maimed  than  to  depart  at  once  on  four  feet  for  the  Happy 
Hunting  Grounds.  Our  Maine  trapper  says:"  "I  once 
caught  one  with  only  two  legs;  he  had  been  trapped  twice 
before  and  lost  a  leg  each  time." 

Although  it  ranks  among  our  most  nocturnal  animals,  it  is 
known  to  hunt  occasionally  by  day.  Bachman  tells  of  a 
Fisher  that  he  saw  hunting  a  Gray-squirrel  in  broad  daylight. 
Many  other  observers,  including  myself,  have  observed  it 
travelling  or  hunting  when  the  sun  was  up. 

Knowing  its  unaquatic   reputation,  I  was  surprised  to  sotm- 
learn  from  George  Linklater  that  he  has  often  seen  this  animal 
swimming  rivers  and  lakes;  in  fact,  it  docs  not  hesitate  to  do  so 
when  across  seems  the  easiest  way  round. 

•«  Q.  N.  A.,  1849,  Vol.  I,  •>.  310. 

■•  J.  G.  R.,  Bethel,  Me., .     St  S.,  June  24,  iSM. 


936 


Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 


The  following,  related  to  me  by  George  Martin  (of  Paul 
Smith's,  Adirondacks,  N.  Y.),  illustrates  at  once  the  savageness 
of  this  animal  and  its  povser  as  a  swimmer: 

In  June,  about  1870,  Paul  Smith  was  guiding  a  New  York 

sportsman  named  S .    One  night   they  went  out  to 

jack  Deer  on  Spitfire  Lake,  near  Paul  Smith's  hotel.  They 
noticed  a  wake  in  the  water  and,  thinking  it  was  made  by  a 
Deer,  gave  chase.     It  proved  to  be  a  large  Blackcat  or  Fisher, 

swimming  the  lake,  here  a  mile  wide.    S insisted  that 

he  could  catch  the  animal  alive.  When  they  came  near,  he 
seized  it  and  threw  it  into  the  boat.  It  attacked  him  savagely. 
He  drew  his  hunting  knife,  but  in  his  excitement  he  did  not 
notice  that  the  sheath  was  still  on  it.  With  this  he  fought  the 
Blackcat,  stabbing  furiously,  hitting  the  boat  chiefly,  and 
wondering  at  the  toughness  of  the  Cat.  He  was  getting  badly 
mauled,  when  Smith  threw  the  beast  out  of  the  boat  and  killed 
it  with  his  paddle.  It  was  an  old  female.  These  animals  are 
often  known  to  swim  rivers  and  lakes  in  the  Adirondacks. 


*  1 


SPEED, 
ETC. 


FOOD 


The  track  of  the  Fisher  is  much  like  that  of  the  Marten, 
but  proportionately  larger.  On  the  ground  it  travels,  as  do 
most  of  the  Weasels,  by  the  succession  of  square-tracked 
jumps.  Bachman  describes  one  running  after  a  Gray-squirrel,' ' 
with  every  prospect  of  overtaking  it,  but  also  states  that  on  the 
ground  it  appeared  to  have  far  less  speed  than  the  Fox. 

As  already  noted,  the  name  Fisher  is  not  happily  bestowed, 
as  the  animal  is  probably  less  of  a  fisher  than  any  other  of  our 
large  Weasels.  Its  food  list  is  most  comprehensive  and  includes 
every  kind  of  bird,  beast,  fish,  frog,  or  reptile  that  it  can  secure 
as  well  as  all  manner  of  eggs  and  fruit — with  meats  and 
seeds  for  variety,  its  choice  staples  being  Hares,  Squirrels, 
Mice,  frogs,  and  fish  when  it  can  find  them.  Of  the  last,  it  is 
extremely  fond,  and  yet  it  is  not  kiiown  to  go  a-fishing.  It  is 
said  to  catch  and  feed  on  its  little  cousin,  the  Marten,  which  is 
evidence  of  most  amazing  agility.    Audubon  and  Bachman 

"Q.N.  A.,  1849,  Vol.  I,  p.  311. 


Fio.  jaj— Tmcki  of  a  Urge  Fisher. 
Blturroot  Mountain*.  ItUfao.  Sept.  6.  tV^ 


va 


Vut' 


W 
'I 

t 


tl" 


OMNIVO- 
ROUS 


938         Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 

record"  the  killing  of  an  Ontario  specimen  thus:  "A  Fisher 
was  shot  by  a  hunter  named  Marsh,  near  Port  Hope,  who  said 
it  was  up  a  tree  in  close  pursuit  of  a  Marten,  which  he  also 
brought  with  it." 

Ross  testifies'*  that  the  Fisher,  like  the  Marten,  lives 
principally  on  Mice,  thus  bringing  it  back  to  the  standby  of  all 
carnivorous  races.  But  Mice  are  not  always  attainable,  and 
the  valiant  one  may  be  subdued  by  grim  hunger  and  descend 
yet  lower  in  the  accepted  scale  of  diet. 

George  Crawford  (the  Indian  guide,  Mittigwab)  tells  me 
that  in  August,  1896,  at  Lake  Kippewa  he  saw  a  Fisher  on  the 
shore  pulling  down  berries  and  eating  them.  They  were,  he 
said,  small  sweetish  berries  in  bunches  with  round  leaves. 
They  are  like  huckleberries,  but  black,  not  found  except  well 
up  north.  Dr.  Coues  is  authority  for  the  statement  that  it  will 
stay  its  hunger  with  beechnuts  if  nothing  better  is  at  hand." 

The  favourite  food  of  the  Pekan  appears  to  be  the  Rabbit 
or  White-hare.  What  little  migrating  the  species  does,  is,  no 
doubt,  irregular  wandering  in  search  of  woods  or  regions  where 
the  Hare  abounds. 


RABBIT- 
RUNNER 


In  pursuing  these  it  may  either  stalk  them  cat-fashion  or 
run  them  log-fashion.  Hardy  says:"  "I  have  known  one  to 
catch  a  Rabbit  by  cutting  across  when  the  Rabbit  circled.  I 
once  saw  a  Fisher  which  had  driven  a  Rabbit  into  the  AHeguash 
River.  The  Rabbit  had  swum  to  a  gravel  bed  in  the  middle 
of  the  river,  an  -at  crouched  down,  while  the  Fisher  kept 
racing  up  ar  on  the  shore,  but  did  not  take  the  water 

where  the  tra    .       ided,  as  a  hound  would  have  done." 

A  case  of  '  md  came  under  my  notice  at  the  Lake  of  the 
Woods,  as  already  noted,  and  the  following  incident"  gives  a 
graphic  picture  of  how  it  is  done. 

"I  once  saw  a  Hare  come  out  of  the  woods  onto  Lake 
Mollychunckemunk,  running  at  great  speed,  and,  immediately 


"  Ibid.,  p.  313.  '•  Can.  Nat.,  1861,  VI,  p.  34. 

"  Fur-bearing  Anim.,  1877,  p.  70.  "  See  Note  4. 

■  J.  G.  R.,  Bethel,  Me.,  F.  &  S.,  January  14,  1886,  p.  484. 


Fisher 


9S9 


POX- 


aftcr,  a  Fisher  on  his  track.  They  followed  down  the  lake  about 
a  mile,  when  the  Hare  commenced  to  circle,  quite  large  at  first, 
and  continually  making  the  circle  smaller,  the  Fisher  always 
keeping  inside  the  circle  of  the  Hare,  and  so  gaining  quite  a 
distance  at  every  round;  or  rather,  not  having  to  run  so  fast  to 
keep  the  Hare  on  his  speed,  the  Fisher  seemed  to  take  it  very 
leisurely,  until  the  circle  became  so  small  as  to  end  at  a  point, 
and  the  Fisher  was  there  as  soon  as  the  Hare,  and  made  short 
work  of  him.  I  had  followed  down  the  lake  as  fast  as  I  could, 
in  hopes  of  getting  a  shot,  and  so  had  an  excellent  chance  to  see 
the  whole  manoeuvre,  but  the  Fisher  saw  me,  dragged  his 
prey  ashore,  and  fled  into  the  woods." 

The  dietary  of  the  Fisher  expands  on  investigation. 
Linklater  and  many  others  of  my  trapper  friends  say  they  have 
often  heard  of  Foxes  killed  by  this  animal.  It  runs  the  Fox 
like  a  hound,  following  all  day,  till  the  latter  gets  tired  and 
takes  refuge  in  a  hole,  where  it  is  easily  dispatched. 

Half  as  heavy  again  as  the  Fox,  and  twice  as  much  of  a  aio^ 
fighter,  is  the  common  Raccoon,  yet  it  stands  in  awe  of  the 
Fisher,  and  Dr.  Coues  says:'* 

"  It  may  not  be  generally  known  that  the  Pekan  success- 
fully assaults  an  animal  as  large  as  the  Raccoon;  indeed,  that 
the  abundance  of  the  latter  in  some  districts  depends  in  a 
measure  upon  the  rarity  of  the  former.  The  following  letter, 
addressed  to  Professor  Baird,  in  1857,  by  Peter  Reid,  of 
Washington  County,  N.  Y.,  suflRciently  attests  these  facts: 

" '  Raccoons  are  more  numerous  here  now  than  they  were 
at  the  first  settlement  of  the  country,  or  for  some  time  subse- 
quent. Thirty  years  ago  they  were  so  seldom  found  that 
many  boys  fifteen  or  eighteen  years  old  had  scarcely  seen  one. 
Before  the  increase  of  their  numbers  I  once  witnessed  a  cir- 
cumstance that  satisfied  my  mind  on  this  score.  Whilst 
hunting,  early  one  winter,  I  found  the  carcass  of  a  freshly  killed 
sheep,  and  by  the  tracks  around  it  in  the  light  snow  perceived 

"  Fur-bearing  Anim.,  1877,  pp.  73-4. 


KILLER 


940         Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 


t 

r) 


u  1 


I* 


that  a  Fisher  had  surprised  a  Raccoon  at  a  feast.  A  hard 
chase  had  ensued,  the  Raccoon  tacking  at  full  speed  to  avoid 
his  pursuer,  the  Fisher  outrunning  and  continually  confront- 
ing his  intended  victim.  I  saw  where  at  length  the  Fisher 
had  made  an  assault,  and  where  a  bloody  contest  had 
evidently  ensued.  The  Raccoon,  worsted  in  the  encounter, 
had  again  broken  away,  and  the  chase  was  resumed,  but 
with  diminished  energy  on  the  part  of  the  Raccoon;  the 
animal  had  been  soon  overtaken  again,  and  a  still  more 
desperate  encounter  had  taken  place.  The  Coon  had  failed 
fast,  and  it  had  at  length  become  merely  a  running  fight, 
when  both  animals  had  entered  a  swamp  where  it  was  impossi- 
ble for  me  to  trace  them  further,  but  I  have  no  doubt  the  Coon 
was  killed.  I  have  witnessed  similar  engagements  between  the 
Mink  and  Muskrat,  the  Weasel  and  the  House-rat,  always 
ending  in  the  death  of  the  assaulted.  The  Fisher  has  been 
nearly  extinct  in  these  parts  for  about  twenty-five  years,  and 
this,  to  my  mind,  accounts  for  the  great  increase  in  numbers  of 
the  Raccoon.'" 


LYNX- 

KJLLER 


Lewis  and  Clark"*  ascribe  a  similar  habit  to  the  Fisher  of 
Oregon;  and  we  have  already  seen  that  this  doughty  desperado 
can  sometimes  fight  off  a  number  of  dogs.  Yet  one  step 
farther:  The  Indians  say  that  a  Fisher  will  kill  a  Lynx. 
Linklater,  my  principal  informant  on  the  subject,  never  saw 
a  case,  but  was  inclined  to  believe  it,  as  he  had  had  much 
experience  with  both  animals  and  knew  their  relative  merits. 


■   t 


I 


DEER- 
KILLER 


Now  since  the  Pekan's  prowess  is  demonstrated  and  its 
fighting  fame  proclaimed,  we  are  prepared  for  the  foUovving 
from  the  pen  of  Manly  Hardy." 

"  In  spite  of  their  small  size  and  light  weight.  Fishers  not 
only  kill  Deer,  but  can  and  do  kill  those  of  the  largest  size. 
When  I  first  heard  of  this  I  doubted  it,  but  know  now  that  they 
often  do  it.  A  year  ago  last  fall,  my  old  friend,  Louis  Ketcham, 
was  following  the  track  of  a  large  buck  near  the  hca.^  of 

-  Aud.  &  Bach.,  Quad.  N.  A.,  1849,  !•  P-  313-  "  S^  Note  4. 


Fisher 


041 


Nahmakanta  Lake.  In  going  along  the  side  of  a  high  granite 
ledge  he  saw  where  the  buck  had  fallen,  and  there  was  blood 
on  the  snow.  After  stumbling  along  a  few  rods,  it  had  fallen 
again,  and  there  was  more  blood.  This  was  repeated  several 
times,  and  then  he  saw  where  the  buck  had  struck  a  Fisher 
which  had  been  clinging  to  its  neck  and  biting  it,  and  had 
knocked  it  several  feet  to  one  side.  The  Fisher  was  evidently 
badly  hurt,  as  Louis  said  it  dragged  its  hind-legs,  making  a 
track  in  the  snow  like  an  Otter,  and  had  crawled  into  a  crack 
in  the  ledge.  On  going  back  he  found  that  the  Fisher  had 
been  on  top  of  the  ledge,  where  the  Deer  path  led  along  close 
to  it,  and  had  sprung  down  upon  the  Deer  and  was  trying  to 
bite  the  jugular  vein.  I  have  known  of  instances  where  they 
have  been  successful  in  doing  this." 

The  list  of  immunes  keeps  shrinking.  There  are  now  but 
few  of  the  wild  things  left  that,  by  reason  of  their  size  and 
strength  or  other  gifts,  can  afford  to  regard  with  indifference  the 
Blackcat  crawling  near.  There  are  indeed  two  creatures  that 
through  ages  of  security  have  been  led  to  think  themselves 
exceptions  to  the  rules— the  Skunk  and  the  Porcupine;  but 
the  Fisher  itself  is  an  exception  to  all  rules. 


As  far  back  as  1829,  Richardson  wrote*  of  the  Pekan:  porcu- 
"Its  favourite  food  is  the  Canada  Porcupine,  which  it  kills  killer 
by  biting  on  the  belly."    Every  northern  naturalist  since  has 
borne  similar  testimony.    Hardy  says:" 

"Their  food  consists  of  Porcupines  largely.  ♦  *  ♦  It 
seems  to  swallow  the  quills  of  Porcupines  without  any  injury. 
I  have  examined  many  hundreds  of  Fisher  skins  where  there 
were  quills  lying  flat  against  the  skin,  usually  either  on  the 
back  of  neck  or  lower  part  of  the  back,  but  I  never  saw  any 
signs  of  their  causing  any  sores  or  suppuration,  as  they  do  in 
a  dog.  While  I  had  skins  of  Fox,  Raccoon,  and  Wildcats, 
which  have  been  picked  up  dead,  with  their  necks  just  filled 
with  Porcupine  quills,  which  evidently  had  caused  their  death, 
I  have  never  seen  a  quill  sticking  in  a  Fisher;  and  the  same  is 

"  F.  B.  A.,  i8a9,  I,  p.  53.  "  See  Note  4. 


itfii 


942         Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 


to 


:« 


true  of  Bears,  which  also  eat  a  great  many  Porcupines.  In 
t 'ting  Porcupines  they  do  just  as  Bears  do,  turn  them  over  on 
tiieir  backs  and  cat  out  most  of  the  meat,  leaving  the  skin 
nearly  entire." 

Abundant  corroboration  is  found  in  "Mammals  of  the 
Adirondacks.""  "I  was  informed  both  by  an  agent  of 
the  Hudson's  Bay  Company  and  by  the  trappers  themselves 
[says  Merriam]  that  Porcupines  constitute  a  large  and  im- 
portant element  in  the  food  supply  of  the  Pekan.  Nap.  A. 
Comeau,  of  Godbout,  who  secured  for  me  a  large  and  hand- 
some male  of  this  species,  tells  me  that  its  intestine  contained 
hundreds  of  Porcupine  quills,  arranged  in  clusters,  like  so  many 
packages  of  needles,  throughout  its  length.  In  no  case  had  a 
single  quill  penetrated  the  mucous  lining  of  the  intestine,  but 
they  were  apparently  passing  along  its  interior  as  smoothly 
and  surely  as  if  within  a  tube  of  glass  or  metal. 

"Mr.  Comeau  could  not  discover  a  quill  in  any  of  the 
abdominal  viscera,  or  anywhere  in  the  abdominal  cavity,  ex- 
cepting as  above  stated.  A  great  many,  however,  were  found 
imbedded  in  the  muscles  of  the  head,  chest,  and  back  and  legs, 
and  it  was  remarked  that  their  presence  gavs  rise  to  no  irrita- 
tion, no  products  of  inflammation  being  discovered  in  their 
vicinity.  In  examining  the  partially  cleaned  skeleton  of  this 
specimen  I  still  find  some  of  the  quills  in  the  deep  muscles  and 
ligaments  about  the  joints.  A  knee,  in  particular,  shows  several 
in  its  immediate  neighbourhood.  One  is  deeply  imbedded  in 
the  dense  ligament  alongside  the  patella;  three  lie  parallel  to 
and  close  against  the  tibia,  and  two  can  be  seen  between  it  and 
the  fibula. 

"  It  is  probable  that  all  of  these  quills  entered  the  body  of 
the  animal  while  engaged  in  killing  and  devouring  the  Porcu- 
pine, for  those  swallowed  seemed  to  have  caused  no  trouble 
after  having  fairly  entered  the  alimentary  canal.  Therefore, 
there  remains  no  question  whatever  that  the  Fisher  feeds  upon 
the  Porcupine,  but  I  do  not  agree  with  Corporal  Warfield  in 
the  belief  that  the  quills  often  prove  fatal  to  it." 

-p.  49- 


■n 


Fisher 


943 


George  Linklater,  for  many  years  a  chief  trader  for  the 
Hudson's  Bay  Company  at  many  different  posts,  has  hznCi 
hundreds  of  Fisher  pelts,  but  never  saw  one  without  some 
Porcupine  quills  in  it.  The  skin  is  discounted  in  proportion  to 
the  quill  damage  it  shows.  He  never  saw  but  one  Fisher  that 
was  seemingly  hurt  by  a  Porcupine.  He  found  this — an  old 
one— eating  at  a  Deer  carcass.  It  could  scarcely  crawl  and 
was  full  of  quills.  He  thinks  it  would  have  died  in  a  few  days. 
This  was  in  December.  Another  man  of  the  northern  woods. 
Chief  Mittigwab,  tells  me  that  he  never  saw  a  Fisher  skin  with- 
out many  Porcupine  quills  in  it,  but  they  do  no  harm,  never 
fester,  and  always  work  out.  He  has  seen  them  dropping  out 
of  Fishers*  pelts,  but  never  saw  them  in  their  flesh,  the  back  is 
usually  full.  Then,  adding  a  final  and  truly  Indian  touch,  he 
said :  "  Fisher's  liver  given  to  a  dog  will  force  all  the  quills  out 
of  him." 

The  storage  habit  is  well  developed  in  this  species.    When  stor 
it  kills  an  animal,  it  cats  as  miirh  as  it  needs  and  then  buries  habit 
the  rest.    If  you  place  a  trap  at  the  cache,  you  are  sure  to  get 
your  Fisher  next  day.    This  is  well  known  among  the  Ottawa 
trappers  and  a  usual  method  of  catching  the  Pekan. 

It  is  not  generally  believed  to  store  food  for  longer  than  one 
or  two  days;  but  MacFarlane  quotes'*  Colin  Thompson  as 
authority  to  show  that  for  winder  consumption  the  Fishers  pro- 
vide quantities  of  "hips"  in  advance. 

The  pelt  of  this  fur-bearer  is  cased.    The  market  quota-  fu» 
tions  at  Winnipeg  for  March,  1904,  were:    Prime,  $4  to  $q. 

During  the  eighty-five  years,  1821  to  1905  inclusive,  the 
Hudson's  Bay  Company  collected  377,338  skins  of  this  species, 
au  average  of  4,439  for  each  year.  The  lowest  was  974  in  1829; 
the  highest,  8,917,  in  1868.  The  average  for  the  ten  years, 
1895  to  1905,  was  3,816. 

Poland's  lists  show  that  during  the  seventy-one  years,  1821 
to  1 891  inclusive,  305,570  skins  were  taken  by  the  other  Ameri- 

"  Mam.  N.  W.  Ter,  Proc.  U.  S.  N.  M.,  igos,  p.  709. 


i 


^ 


0 


m 


•44         Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 

can  companies,  an  average  of  4,224  each  year.  So  that  the 
average  annual  catch  of  Fishers  for  fur  is  about  8,600. 

At  Lampson's  annual  fur  sales,  London,  March,  1906, 
2,211  Fisher  sicins  were  sold.  (The  Hudson's  Bay  Company 
sold  3,010  the  same  month.)  The  highest  price  realized  at 
Lampson's  was  52  shillings  (51248)  each  for  24  first-class  black 
skins.  But  30  to  40  shillings  ($7.20  to  $9.60)  were  ruling 
prices  for  first-class  paler  skins;  second-class  brought  about  20 
shillings  (54.80),  and  third-class  15  shillings  (53.60). 

Hardy  says*  he  once  sold  a  few  extra  fine  dark  skins  in 
London  for  100  shillings  (524),  while  some  of  the  coarsest 
md  palest  prime  skins  in  the  same  lot  did  not  bring  over  16  to 
.0  shillings  (53-84  to  54-8o). 

"See  Note  4. 


m 


ii' 


XLII. 

Wolverine,  Glutton,  Carcajou,  Skunkbear  or 
Quickhatch. 

Gulo  luseus  (Linnaeus). 

(L. Gm<0,  from  gtUa,  the  throat,  giTen  by  Storr  on  uooimt  of  itt  tuppoied  gluttony; 

L.  Uttcut,  haU-blind.) 

Ursus  luseus  Linn.,  1766,  Syst.  Nat.,  XII  ed.,  I,  p.  71. 
Gulo  luseus  Sabine,  1823,  Franklin  Nar.  Joum.  Polar  Sea, 
p.  650. 

Type  Locality. — Hudson  Bay. 

French  Canadian,  le  Carcajou. 
Cree,  Kin-kwa-har-ga/-o,  or,  according  to  Richard- 
son,' Okee-coo-haw-geuf. 
OjiB.  &  Saut.,  Kween-go-ar'-gay. 
Chipewyan,  Nog-gy^-ay. 
Yankton  Sioux,  Skay-cha  Tung-ka. 

The  original  individual  of  the  Hudson  Bay  Wolverine,  to 
which  Linnzus  gave  the  name  luseus,  was  said  to  have  had 
but  one  eye;  possibly,  however,  it  was  given  on  account  of  its 
reputation  tor  bad  eyesight. 

The  name  'Carcajou'  is  probably  a  French  corruption  of 
the  Canadian  Indian  name.  Richardson  believed  that  both 
'Carcajou'  and  'Quickehatch'  were  derived  from  the  Algon- 
quin or  Cree  name,  'Okce-coo-haw-gcw'  or  'Okee-coo-haw- 
gees.'  The  name  'Skunkbear'  is  commonly  used  in  the 
Rocky  Mountains  because  in  size,  colour,  and  shape  the 
Wolverine  suggests  a  cross  between  a  Skunk  and  a  Black-bear. 

The  genus  Gulo  (Storr,  1 780)  comprises  the  largest  of  the 
Weasel  Family  and  belongs  to  the  Mustelinx  or  true  Weasel 

'  F.  B.  A.,  1899, 1,  pp.  4a-3. 

945 


tf 


94«         Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 

subfamily,  characterized  by  having  partly  retractile  dawi 
suited,  not  for  digging,  but  for  climbing.  They  are  stout, 
bear-like  animals  with  bushy  tails,  hairy  soles,  shon  ears,  and 
4  extra  premolars.    The  teeth  are: 


SBB 


WEIGHT 


COLOUR 


Inc. 


3l3. 
3-3' 


can. 


l:^:prem.*I*:mol.ili-38 
i-i    *^        4-4  2-2    ^ 


In  addition  to  these  characters  the  Wolverine  has: 

Length,  about  36  inches  (915  mm.);  tail,  6  inches  (152 
mm.);  hind-foot,  7  inches  (178  mm.);  height  at  shoulder,  12 
inches  (305  mm.). 

George  Cartwright  gave*  the  weight  of  a  specimen  as  26 
pounds. 

General  colour  a  deep  blackish-brown,  paler  and  grayer 
on  crown  and  cheeks;  a  band  of  pale  chestnut  begins  on  each 
shoulder  and  passes  backwards  along  the  sides  to  meet  its 
fellow  on  the  tail;  these  become  nearly  white  on  the  rump  in 
some  specimens;  the  throat  and  chest  are  more  or  less  spotted 
with  yellowish-white,  which  sometimes  forms  a  large  irregular 
patch;  claws,  whitish  horn-colour. 

St^c:  alike. 


I 


S', 


Quite  recently  (1903  and  1905)  D.  G.  Elliot  has  described 
two  new  forms  of  Wolverine,  as  follows: 

luteuf  Elliot,  is  distinguished  by  the  buff  colour  of 

its  upper  parts.    California. 
hylaus  Elliot,  is  very  dark  in  colour,  without  buff  or 

gray;  has  auditory  bullae  very  large.    Alaska. 


Life-history. 

RANGE  Wolverines    are    found    in    boreal    Asia,    Europe,    and 

America.     In  the  last  the  southern  limits  are  shown  on  the 
map. 

•Sateen  Years  in  Labrador,  1792,  Vol.  V  p.  407. 


MAP  51— RAHOB  OF  THB  WOLVERIHE  AUS  ITS  THREE  RACES. 

Cmh  Inm  (Linn) 
Founded  on  reconk  by  T.  Ridurdm,  Geo.  Cutwrifhl,  S.  F.  B*ird,  E.  CoiMi,  C.  But  Ueniun,  R.  MacFtrUne,  E.  W.  NAia,  B.  C 
Ynirow,  E.  R.  Wmnrn,  D.  G.  Elliot,  S  N.  Rh<«d>,  lal.  ,    ^       _,.. ,  ^^  .  ^    .  _   . .     ^ 

The  main  outlines  ue  ftirly  correct  (or  Ike  primitiTC  nnfe,  tmt  fuithcr  Inwitigmnm  will  indiiae  nxat  of  the  Antic  IiUodi. 

947 


948         Life-hisiurics  of  Northerr  Animals 


J 


It  is  unknown  in  outh-westtiu  Manitoba  and  ery  scarce 
ih  the  north-eastern  half  f  the  Province.  I  have  .card  of  it 
about  Lake  Whinipeg,  a  told  that  i  few  are  found  on  Di"'k 
Mount  n.  and  its  1885  viUiam  R  'line  h  =!  a  specimen  sent 
him  from  Brokenhead  River.  Hf  con  d  -  th  Wolverine 
exceedingly  rare  in  Manitoba.  The  •  ily  one  he  ever  saw 
ilive  in  the  Province  was  kept  the  Alhion  Hotel  by  D  m 
MacDomld.     It  came  fro  1  LaUf  Winnip  g. 

A    ni)  I  me  wu    i'  pi  ntiful  hce  a»  is  shown  by  the  Red 


.    he 

lien 

iliR 


River  lur  Tiiturnt  o'  .^lexai  Ici  H'  in    d^o-i 

years  following;  he  gu.  ,  4,        8,  r    ,     8,3 
The  hj)ecic     reaches    i     -hiet  ah   ndan 
Grounds,  just  n^rth  of  the  hn   t  of  tret   ,  bu 
in  the  Peace  Rivrr  Valicy      I    )m  this    epio, 
of  Winnipeg,  inf-^rms  me  th.     rhe  Huds*.  1' 
received  1,200  Woi  eri   '     kin     in  \^      and 
This,  no  doubt,  inch  ies  a'   sicir    sent  t  i       qh  t 
Department  from         ons  ms       remr  e.     It  i 
coming'  scarce  in  th-       utht       |    'ts         s  range. 


•he 


iren 

also 

lark, 

am 

1882. 

i'eace  River 

vidently  be- 


'■i' 


I 


INDIVIO- 
RANGE 


^  Bach    an  trucki 
now     la^  hills  of  • 


Audubon  u 

5  miles  over  the 
Labrador.  Cartv^righ.       •-'  one  wh 

6  miles  '     .lacF  irl.  nc  VN..tes  me 
trai^  for   12  or     5    iiiles.     T       i rappers 


a  Wolverine  for  about 
irthcrn  New  York.*  In 
carried  a  heavy  trap  lor 

ther  which  followed  his 
nerally  say  it  will 


follow  t 


to  steal  their  trap 


m  aiong  a  line  of  -       '    ,0  milt 
lit,.        utchins  says'  "vcn  (  .        es. 

The  m  *;•  reiiarkarile  case  o?  all,  perhaps,  is  that  recorded 
!      Lo-         iis  Labradc    expcrii    ccs.' 

"1  fa.        '89      I  Wolverine  carried  away  a  trap  from 

Trx  Nor.  CKt  Ri  T,  and  fstill  bearing  the  trap]  was  taken  a 
tew  days  .rer  a  a;.'  ther  "ap  on  the  Hamilton  River,  :  ome 
zo  miles  aw-        im  the  pL     wbef  it  had  picked  up  the  first 

•Journal,  1 8g,     p.  1S4,  ig8,  aai.  y, -ii,  4*2,  440. 

'  Quad.  N.  A.,  ia49,  V  ol.  I,  p.  ac; 

Of  cit.,  ser  Note  a. 

F.  B.  A.,  I   J9, 1,  p.  43- 
'  Labrador  I    nin.,  Geol.  Surv.  Can.,  1896,  App.  I,  p.  315  L. 


r^^mi. 


Wolveiinc 


049 


trap."  All  of  this  evidence,  while  not  conclusive,  has  weight, 
and  hunters  agree  that  the  Wolverine  is  a  wide-ranger,  cover- 
ing a  region  of  at  least  50  miles  across  in  the  winter.  In  the 
summer  it  need  not  go  so  far  for  food  and  must  suy  in  the 
neighbourhood  of  its  ""imily. 

Mating  takes  place  about  the  middle  or  end  of  March,  matwo 
Miles  Spencer  is  of  the  opinion  that  the  Wolverine  pairs,  and 
that  the  male  assists  in  rearing  th.  yonng.'  Abe  Leeds,  my 
Idaho  guide,  tells  me  that  he  has  seen  a  pair  of  Wolverines 
roaming  together  in  autumn  among  the  mountains  of  Jackson's 
Hole,  so  it  is  possible  that  the  species  pairs  for  life,  though  the 
analogy  of  other  Weasels  is  against  this  conclusion. 

The  den  of  one  which  they  secured  in  Rensselaer  County, 
N.  Y.,  is  described  by  Audubon  and  Bachman,  and  from 
their  account  we  may  form  an  idea  of  the  nursery.* 

"Thee  was  a  large  nest  of  dried  leaves  in  the  cavern,  nestwo 
which  had  evidently  been  a  place  of  resort  for  the  Wolverine 
*  ♦  *  during  the  whole  winter,  as  its  tracks  from  every 
direction  led  to  the  spot.  It  had  laid  up  no  winter  store,  and 
evidently  depended  on  its  nightly  excursion  for  a  supply  of 
food.     It  had,  however,  fared  well,  for  it  was  very  fat." 

The  site  chosen  for  the  young  ones'  home  is  almost  any 
sheltered  hollow  in  the  ground  or  under  rocks.  Sometimes 
the  old  one  digs  it  out,  but  oftentimes  uses  any  ready-made 
convenient  hole  it  can  find. 

Gestation  is  supposed  to  last  about  60  days;  analogy  obta- 
would  make  it  about  100;  but  there  is  no  conclusive  evidence. 
Indians  and  trappers  report  the  mating  season  and  the  bearing 
season  from  two  to  three  months  apart.  Doubtless  seasons 
\ary  with  latitude.  Most  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company 
traders  agree  that  the  young  are  born  in  June,  but  'n  the  Barren 
Grounds,  t'  at  is,  the  Arctic  -  v  ma    nr  W  July. 

•  Low  EzpL  JunM  Ba/,  1888. ' 

•  Quad.  N   \;  J849, 1,  p.  ao^ 


050 


Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 


U 

i 
) 


I 


I 


'.r\ 


'ti 

i 


youNG 


As  will  be  seen  later,  I  have  evidence  of  the  Siberian  Wolverine, 
supposed  to  be  identical  with  ours,  producing  young  in  April. 

The  little  ones  number  2  or  3,  rarely  4,  but  MacFarlane 
says  sometimes  as  high  as  5.  The  very  low  numbers  are  usu- 
ally offspring  of  a  very  young  or  a  very  old  r  jther. 

In  early  life  they  have  been  little  observed,  because  the 
mosquitoes  are  such  an  insufferable  torment  in  their  haunts 
during  summer  that  no  man  goes  there  except  under  dire 
compulsion.  The  half-breeds  and  Indians  of  the  far  North- 
west have  often  assured  me  that  the  young  are  white  at  birth, 
but  they  could  not  produce  the  skin  of  one.  I  was  glad,  there- 
fore, to  find  in  the  American  Museum  of  Natural  History  2 
young  ones  taken  by  N.  C.  Buxton  in  north-eastern  Siberia,  on 
May  7,  1 901,  which,  judging  from  their  size,  must  have  been 
three  or  four  weeks  old.    They  are  male  and  female. 

The  male,  as  measured  in  the  dry  skin,  is:  Length,  i6§ 
inches  (419  mm.);  tail,  about  3I  inches  (82  mm.);  hind-foot, 
2i  inches  (53  mm.). 

It  is  clad  in  a  dense  wool  which  is  yellowish-white  tinged 
with  brownish-gray,  on  crown,  legs,  back,  under  parts,  and  tail; 
the  face  bears  a  mask  of  brown.  Thus  it  has  all  the  adult 
marking  expressed  in  very  faint  colours. 

The  female  is  precisely  similar. 

On  one  point  all  my  Indian  friends  and  all  the  books  are 
agreed — that  it  is  as  safe  to  enter  the  den  of  a  mother  Bear  as 
to  face  a  Wolverine  when  she  is  with  her  young.  She  is  a 
tigress  of  ferocity,  absolutely  fearless,  and  so  strong  and  quick 
that  a  man,  even  armed  with  a  gun,  is  taking  risks  if  he 
come  near.  The  young  are  suckled  for  eight  or  nine  weeks 
and  fed  at  home  by  their  mother  till  quite  late  in  summer. 
D.  T.  Hanbury  says"  that  August  13,  on  the  Dease  River,  near 
Great  Bear  Lake,  he  "shot  a  female  Wolverine  as  she  was 
swimming  across  the  river.  She  carried  a  Ground-squirrel  in 
her  mouth,  which  she  evidently  had  intended  for  her  family." 

"  Northland  of  Canada,  1904,  p.  333. 


Wolverine 


951 


"In  October,  when  the  rivers  set  fast,  the  Wolverines  re- 
appear in  families,  the  young  still  following  their  dam,  though 
now  not  much  her  inferior  in  size.  They  are  full  grown  when 
about  a  year  old.""  {Lockhart.)  But  one  brood  is  produced 
in  a  year. 

The  Wolverine  has  been  made  the  subject  of  many  marvel-  habits 
lous  stories.  We  are  told,  for  example,  that  it  habitually  lies 
in  wait  up  some  tree  for  Deer  to  pass;  it  drops  on  them  and 
rides  them  to  death,  then  devours  the  carcass  at  one  enormous 
meal.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  a  Wolverme  rarely  climbs,  it  seldom 
attacks  a  full-grown  Deer,  and  its  appetite  is  no  more  than  that 
of  any  other  flesh-eater  of  its  size.  Its  usual  prey  is  small 
mammals  and  carrion.  It  is  notorious  for  its  pertinacious  perse- 
cutions of  the  trapoer.  Every  trapper  in  the  fur  countries  can 
relate  personal  experiences  of  the  Wolverine,  and  Richardson 
also  bears  testimony  to  its  cunning  and  its  propensity  for 

mischief: 

"The  Wolverine"  [he  says]  is  extremely  wary  and  shows 
extraordinary  sagacity  and  perseverance  in  accomplishing  its 
ends.     The  Indians  believe  that  it  is  inspired  with  the  spirit 
of  mischief,  and  endowed  with  preternatural  powers.   Though 
more  destructive  to  their  hoards  of  provisions  than  the  Wolf 
or  even  the  Bear,  and  able  to  penetrate  fences  that  resist  their 
powerful  efforts,  it  is  only  about  thirty  inches  long,  a  foot  high 
at  the  shoulder,  and  one  foot  six  inches  at  the  rump,  but  it  is 
very  compactly  made.    With  teeth  that  do  not  seem  to  be 
peculiarly  fitted  for  cutting  wood,  it  will  sever  a  log  equal  to 
a  man's  thigh  in  thickness,  by  constant  gnawing.     In  selecting 
the  spot  it  intends  to  breach,  it  shows  as  much  skill  as  the 
Beaver,  generally  contriving  to  cut  a  log  near  one  end,  so  that 
it  may  fall  down  into  some  void  space,  and  thus  open  an  en- 
trance into  the  hoard.    The  animal  works  so  hard  in  carrying 
on  this  operation  that  it  causes  its  mouth  to  bleed,  as  the  ends 
of  the  logs  and  the  snow  often  testify.  Once  admitted  into  the 

"  Coues,  Fur-bearing  Anim.,  1877,  p.  sa. 
"  Arc  Search  Exp.,  1851,  Vol.  II,  pp.  84-«- 


m 


n. 


952         Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 

hoard,  it  has  to  gnaw  the  pieces  of  meat  asunder,  as  they  are 
generally  frozen  together,  ak.d  then  it  proceeds  to  drag  them 
out  one  by  one,  and  to  bury  them  in  the  snow,  each  in  a  separate 
place  As  it  travels  backwards  and  forwards  over  the  meat,  it 
smears  it  with  a  peculiarly  fetid  glandular  secretion,  after 
which  no  other  animal  will  touch  it.  In  this  way  one  of  these 
beasts  will  spoil  a  large  cache  in  an  hour  or  two  and  wholly 
empty  it  in  a  few  nights.  The  pieces  which  are  carried  off  arc 
so  carefully  concealed  in  the  snow,  and  the  Wolverine  makes  so 
many  track,  in  the  neighbourhood,  that  it  is  difficult  to  trace 
out  the  deposits,  and  they  are  seldom  found." 

"In  which  case,"  as  Thomas  Hutchins  says,"  "they 
furnish  a  regale  to  the  hungry  Fox,  whose  sagacious  nostrils 
guide  him  unerri.igly  to  the  spot.  Two  or  three  Foxes  are 
often  seen  following  the  Wolverine  for  this  purpose."  All 
Northern  traders  grow  eloquent  on  the  subject  of  this  animal's 
diabolic  pertinacity  and  destructiveness. 

"The  winter  I  passed  at  Fort  Simpson  [writes  Lockhart]** 
I  had  a  line  of  Marten  and  Fox  traps,  and  Lynx  snares,  extend- 
ing as  far  as  Lac  de  Brochet.  Visiting  them  on  one  occasion, 
I  found  a  Lynx  alive  in  one  of  my  snares,  and  being  indisposed 
to  carry  it  so  far  home,  determined  to  kill  and  skin  it  before  it 
should  freeze.  But  how  to  cache  the  skin  till  my  return? 
This  was  a  serious  question,  for  Carcajou  tracks  were  numer- 
ous. Placing  the  carcass  as  a  decoy  in  a  clump  of  willows  at 
one  side  of  the  path,  I  went  some  distance  on  the  opposite  side, 
dug  a  hole  with  my  snowshoe  about  three  feet  deep  in  the  snow, 
packed  the  skin  in  the  smallest  possible  compass,  and  put  it  in 
the  bottom  of  the  hole,  which  I  filled  up  again  very  carefully, 
packing  the  snow  down  hard,  and  then  strewing  loose  snow 
over  the  surface  till  the  spot  looked  as  though  it  had  never 
been  disturbed.  I  also  strewed  blood  and  entrails  in  the  path 
and  around  the  willow-  Returning  next  morning,  I  found 
that  the  carcass  was  gt  I  had  expected  it  would  be,  but 

that  the  place  where  th  .  was  cached  was  apparently  un- 

disturbed.   'Ah!  you  ra!...al,'  said  I,  addressing  aloud  the 

"  F.  B.  A.,  1839,  Vol.  I,  p.  43.        "  Coues,  Fur-bearing  Anim.,  1877,  PP-  S^S- 


ss: 


Wolverine 


95S 


absent  Carcajou, '  I  have  outwitted  you  for  once.  I  lighted  my 
pipe,  and  proceeded  leisurely  to  dig  up  the  skm  to  place  in  my 
muskimoot.  I  went  clear  down  to  the  ground  on  this  side  and 
on  that,  but  no  Lynx  skin  was  there.  The  Carcajou  had  been 
before  me  and  had  carried  it  off  along  with  tne  carcase ;  but  he 
had  taken  the  pains  to  fill  up  the  hole  again  and  make  every 
thing  as  smooth  as  before. 

"At  Peel's  River,  on  one  occasion,  a  very  old  Carcajou 
discovered  my  Marten  road,  on  which  I  had  nearly  a  hundred 
and  fifty  traps.    I  was  in  the  habit  of  visiting  the  line  about 
once  a  fortnight;   but  the  beast  fell  into  the  way  of  coming 
oftener  than  I  did,  to  my  great  annoyance  and  vexation,    l 
determined  to  put  a  stop  to  this  thieving  and  his  life  together, 
cost  what  it  might.     So  I  made  six  strong  traps  at  as  many 
different  points,  and  also  set  three  steel  traps.     )fr     three 
weeks  I  tried  my  best  to  catch  the  beast  without  succ.  s;  and 
my  worst  enemy  would  allow  that  1  am  no  green  hand  in  these 
matters.    The  animal  carefully  avoided  the  traps  set  for  his 
own  benefit,  and  seemed  to  be  taking  more  delight  than  ever  in 
demolishing  my  Marten  traps  and  eating  the  Martens,  scatter- 
ine  the  poles  in  every  direction,  and  caching  what  baits  or 
Martens  he  did  not  devour  on  the  spot.    As  we  had  no  poison 
in  those  days,  I  next  set  a  gun  on  the  bank  of  a  little  lake. 
The  gun  was  concealed  in  some  low  bushes,  but  the  bait  was 
so  placed  that  the  Carcajou  must  see  it  on  his  way  up  the  bank^ 
I  blockaded  my  path  to  the  gun  with  a  small  pine  tree  wh.chi 
completely  hid  it.    On  my  first  visit  af:terwards  I  ^und    he 
beast  had  gone  up  to  the  bait  and  smelled  it,  but  had  left  it 
untouched.    He  had  next  pulled  up  the  pine  tree  thit  blocked 
the  path,  and  gone  around  the  gun  and  cut  the  ime  which 
connected  the  bait  with  the  trigger,  just  behind  the  muzzle. 
Then  he  had  gone  back  and  pulled  the  bait  away,  and  carried 
it  out  on  the  lake,  where  he  lay  down  and  devoured  it  at  his 
leisure.     There  I  found  my  string.     I  could  scarcely  believx 
that  all  this  had  been  done  designedly,  for  it  seemed  that  facul- 
ties fully  on  a  par  with  human  reason  would  be  required  tor 
such  an  exploit,  if  done  intentionally.     I  therefore  rearranged 


■  «l 


Jl 


■HHi 


MMI 


*W4         Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 


hi 


'I* 


V 


things,  tying  the  string  where  it  had  been  bitten.  But  the 
result  was  exactly  the  same  for  three  successive  occasions,  as  I 
could  plainly  see  by  the  footprints;  and,  what  is  most  singular 
of  all,  each  time  the  brute  was  careful  to  cut  the  line  a  little 
back  of  where  it  had  been  tied  before,  as  if  actually  reasoning 
with  himself  that  even  the  knots  might  be  some  new  device  of 
mine,  and  therefore  a  source  of  hidden  danger  he  would  pru- 
dently avoid.  I  came  to  the  conclusion  that  that  Carcajou 
ought  to  live,  as  he  must  be  something  at  leas.:  human,  if  not 
worse.     I  gave  it  up  and  abandoned  the  road  for  a  period. 

"On  another  occasion  a  Carcajou  amused  himself,  much 
as  usual,  by  taking  my  line  from  one  end  to  the  other  and  de- 
molishing my  traps  as  fast  as  I  could  set  them.  I  put  a  large 
steel  trap  in  the  middle  of  a  path  that  branched  off  among  some 
willows,  spreading  no  bait,  but  risking  the  chance  that  the 
animal  would  'put  his  foot  in  it'  on  his  way  to  break  a  trap  at 
the  end  of  the  path.  On  my  next  visit  I  found  that  the  trap 
was  gone,  but  I  noticed  the  blood  and  entrails  of  a  Hare  that 
had  evidently  been  caught  in  the  trap  and  devoured  by  the 
Carcajou  on  the  spot.  Examining  his  footprints,  I  was  satis- 
fied that  he  had  not  been  caught,  and  I  took  up  his  trail. 
Proceeding  about  a  mile  through  the  woods,  I  came  to  a  small 
lake,  on  the  banks  of  which  I  recognized  traces  of  the  trap, 
which  the  beast  had  laid  down  in  order  to  go  a  few  steps  to  one 
side  to  make  water  on  a  stump.  He  had  then  returned  and 
picked  up  the  trap,  which  he  had  carried  across  the  lake,  with 
many  a  twist  and  turn  on  the  hard  crust  of  snow  to  mislead  his 
expected  pursuer,  and  then  again  entered  the  woods.  I  fol- 
lowed for  about  half  a  mile  farther  and  then  came  to  a  large 
hole  dug  in  the  snow.  This  place,  however,  seemed  not  to  have 
suited  him,  for  there  was  nothing  there.  A  few  yards  farther 
on,  however,  I  found  a  neatly  built  mound  of  snow  on  which 
the  animal  had  made  water  and  left  his  dirt;  this  I  knew  was  his 
cache.  Using  one  of  my  snowshoes  for  a  spade,  I  dug  into  the 
hillock  and  down  to  the  ground,  the  snow  being  about  four  feet 
deep;  and  there  I  found  my  trap,  with  the  toes  of  a  Rabbit  still 
in  the  jaws.     Could  it  have  been  the  animal's  instinctive  im- 


Wolverine 


955 


pulse  to  hide  prey  that  made  him  carry  my  trap  so  far  merely 
for  the  morsel  of  meat  still  held  in  it  ?  Or  did  his  cunning 
nature  prompt  him  to  hide  the  trap  for  fear  that  on  some  future 
unlucky  occasion  he  might  put  his  own  toes  in  it  and  share  the 
Rabbit's  fate?" 

To   this   bewildering   evidence   of  sagacity   Dr.  Coues 
adds:"    "This  propensity  of  the  Wolverine  to  carry  off  traps 
receives  confirmation  from  other  sources.    In  Captain  Cart- 
wright's  Journal  (II,  407),  a  similar  instance  is  recorded  in 
the  following  terms:    'In  coming  to  the  foot  of  Table  Hill 
I  crossed  the  track  of  a  Wolvering  with  one  of  Mr.  Calling- 
ham's  traps  on  his  foot;  the  Foxes  had  followed  his  bleeding 
track.     As  this  beast  went  through  the  thick  of  the  woods, 
under  the  north  side  of  the  hill,  where  the  snow  was  so  deep 
and  light  that  it  was  with  the  greatest  difficulty  I  could  follow 
him  even  on  Indian  rackets,  I  was  quite  puzzled  to  know  how 
he  had  contrived  to  prevent  the  trap  from  catching  hold  of  the 
branches  of  trees  or  sinking  in  the  snow.     But  on  coming  up 
with  him  I  discovered  how  he  had  managed.    For,  after  making 
an  attempt  to  fly  at  me,  he  took  the  trap  in  his  mouth  and  ran 
upon  three  legs.    These  creat>  res  are  surprisingly  strong  in 
proportion  to  their  size;  this  one  weighed  only  26  pounds  and 
the  trap  8;  yet,  including  all  the  turns  he  had  taken,  he  carried 

it  6  miles.'" 

"The  hunter  [says  Lockhart]"  may  safely  leave  an  animal 
he  has  killed,  for  one  night,  but  never  for  a  second  time,  without 
placing  it  in  a  strong  cache  of  logs.  The  first  night  the  Wol- 
verine is  pretty  sure  to  visit  the  place,  but  will  touch  nothing. 
The  next  night  he  is  certain  to  return,  and,  if  he  can  possibly 
get  at  the  meat,  he  will  gorge  himself,  and  then  niake 
away  with  the  rest,  which  he  cunningly  hides,  piece  by  piece, 
under  the  snow,  in  different  directions.  At  every  cache  he 
makes  he  voids  his  urine  or  drops  his  dirt,  probably  to  prevent 
Foxes,  Martens,  or  other  animals  from  smelling  the  hidden 
meat  and  digging  it  up.  Caches  must  be  made  of  green  wood, 
and  be  exceedingly  strong,  or  the  animal  will  certainly  break 


»  op.  cit.,  p.  SS- 


"Op.cU.,  pp.  50-1. 


956 


Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 


i,  ■ 


ftH-i 


into  them.  He  has  been  known  to  gnaw  through  a  log  nearly 
a  foot  in  diameter  and  also  to  dig  a  hole  several  feet  deep 
in  frozen  ground,  to  gain  access  to  the  coveted  supply. 
Should  he  succeed  in  gaining  entrance  for  himself  and  yet  be 
unable  to  displace  the  logs  sufficiently  to  permit  of  removal  of 
the  meat,  the  brute  will  make  water  and  dirt  r 'I  over  it,  render- 
ing it  wholly  unfit  to  be  used;  even  a  dog  will  then  scarcely 
touch  it. 

"To  the  trapper  the  Wolverines  are  equally  annoying. 
When  they  have  discovered  a  line  of  Marten  traps,  they  will 
never  abandon  the  road,  and  must  be  killed  before  the  trapping 
can  be  successfully  carried  on.  Beginning  at  one  end,  they 
proceed  from  trap  to  trap  along  the  whole  line,  pulling  them 
successively  to  pieces,  and  taking  out  the  baits  from  behind. 
When  they  can  eat  no  more,  they  continue  to  steal  the  baits 
and  cache  them.  If  hungry,  they  may  devour  two  or  three 
of  the  Martens  they  find  captured,  the  remainder  being  car- 
ried off  and  hidden  in  the  snow  at  a  considerable  distance. 
The  work  of  demolition  goes  on  as  fast  as  the  traps  can  be 
renewed." 

"The  propensity  to  steal  and  hide  things  [says  CouesJ* 
is  one  of  the  strongest  traits  of  the  Wolverine.  To  such  an 
extent  is  it  developed  that  the  animal  will  often  secrete  articles 
of  no  possible  use  to  itself.  Besides  the  wanton  destruction  of 
Marten  traps,  it  will  carry  off  the  sticks  and  hide  them  at  a 
distance,  apparently  in  sheer  malice.  Mr.  Ross,  in  the  article 
above  quoted,  has  given  an  amusing  instance  of  the  extreme 
of  this  propensity:  'The  desire  for  accumulating  property 
seems  so  deeply  implanted  in  this  animal  that,  like  tame  ravens, 
it  does  not  appear  to  care  much  what  it  steals,  so  that  it  can 
exercise  its  favourite  propensity  to  commit  mischief.  An 
instance  occurred  within  my  own  knowledge  in  which  a  hunter 
and  his  family,  having  left  their  lodge  unguarded  during  their 
absence,  on  their  return  found  it  completely  gutted — the  walls 
were  there  but  nothing  else.  Blankets,  guns,  kettles,  axes, 
cans,  knives,  and  all  the  other  paraphernalia  of  a  trapper's  tent 

"  op.  ril.,  p.  51. 


iiilHiiriiH 


Wolverine 


957 


had  \,in5shed.  and  the  tracks  left  by  the  beast  showed  who  had 
been  the  rhifif  The  family  set  to  work  and,  by  carefully 
following  ui  all  his  paths,  recovered,  with  some  trifling 
exceptions,  the  whole  of  the  property.'" 

How  are  we  to  explain  this  conduct  ?   In  ancient  days  or 
barbarous  countries  it  would  be  said  that  the  creature  was 
possessed  of  a  devil  and  no  further  explanation  considered 
necessary.    This  is  not  quite  satisfactory  to-day.    The  Wolver- 
ine undoubtedly  follows  the  trapper  because  it  is  hungry  and 
sees  a  chance  of  securing  a  bellyful.     Having  found  food,  it 
takes  possession  of  it  in  a  manner  of  wide  usage.    As  already 
noted,  small  boys  and  Eskimaux  take  possession  by  spitting  on 
the  object.  Squirrels  by  licking  it.  Foxes  by  urinating  on  it, 
and  Badgers  and  several  Weasels,  including  the  \Volverine,  by 
anointing  it  with  the  oil  of  their  anal  glands.    This  is  a  potent 
method  that  carries  strong  conviction  among  most  creatures 
that  have  retained  unimpaired  the  sense  of  smell.    If  the 
Wolverine  be  not  hungry,  its  provident  instinct  prompts  it  to 
put  the  possible  food  away  for  some  day  of  worse  luck,  and, 
acting  on  the  principle  'better  safe  than  sorry,'  it  brands  again 
in  detail  with  its  execrable  odour  the  treasure  trove;    in  so 
doing,  other  things,  sticks,  pots,  etc.,  with  an  interesting  odour 
of  human  grease,  are  accidentally  touched  with  the  oil,  the 
convincing  holy  oil  of  the  anal  glands,  and  so,  by  a  process  not 
without  parallel  in  other  worlds,  they  are  converted  to  its  use 
and  receive  the  honour  of  a  cache  into  themselves.    It  is  not 
to  be  supposed  that  any  part  of  the  procedure  is  due  to  malice. 
The  inordinate  sagacity  of  the  species  is,  as  with  Wolves, 
largely  fear  born  of  sad  experience,  stimulated  by  any  suggestion 
of  human  touch  and  assisted  by  nostrils  of  marvellous  acuteness 


Aside  from  various  tricks  to  decoy  it  into  a  trap,  there  are  tocir- 
at  least  four  ways  of  solving  the  Wolverine  problem.    The  vent 
first  is  given  by  Richardson,  in  his  1851  Journey,"  thus:  "Rae, 
however,  made  a  safe  cellar  by  cutting  a  hole  in  the  ice,  cover- 

"Vol.  n.  p.  86. 


-      -  -       ..^^»^— ^^ 


958 


Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 


U 


ing  it  thickly  with  snow,  and  then  pouring  water  over  all  until 
the  frost  had  rendered  the  whole  a  solid  mass." 

The  second  method  is  given  by  Professor  H.  Y.  Hind  in 
his  "Exploration  of  Labrador":** 

"As  an  illustration  of  the  ingenuity  of  Indians  in  preserv- 
ing their  packs  of  fur  or  provisions  during  the  winter  months 
where  the  Wolverine  abounds,  Mr.  Anderson,  chief  factor  of 
Mingan,  told  me  that  when  he  was  in  charge  of  the  Post  of 
Neepigon,  north  of  Lake  Superior,  an  Indian  came  to  him  to 
get  some  provision,  but  did  not  bring  his  furs. 

"'Where  did  you  leave  your  furs ?'  he  enquired. 

"'Made  a  cache  of  them,'  said  the  Indian. 

"'But,  man,  the  Carcajou  will  get  them;  there  are  plenty 
in  your  hunting  grounds,'  replied  Mr.  Anderson. 

"'No,  no;  no  fear;  I'll  irighten  the  Carcajou,  I  think,  if 
he  tries  to  get  my  pack.' 

"'How  did  you  make  the  cache?' 

"*I  wrapped  the  furs  in  birch-bark,  and  tied  the  bundle  at 
the  end  of  a  large  branch  twice  as  high  as  myself  from  the 
ground.' 

"'Well,  that  will  not  keep  the  Carcajou  away.  He  will 
climb  the  tree  and  jump  at  the  pack  and  bring  it  down  with 
him.' 

"'No;  I  think  not,'  said  the  Indian,  with  a  smile.  'I 
fastened  two  of  my  little  dog-sleigh  bells  to  the  pack  with  a  bit 
of  sinew.  When  the  Carcajou  comes  crawling  down  the  branch 
to  get  at  the  pack,  he  will  ring  the  little  bells,  and  then  you 
know  how  quick  he'll  jump  back  again  and  run  off.  I  have 
tried  this  trick  before,  and  it  never  failed  me.  No  fear;  the 
Carcajou  will  not  get  my  furs." 


Somewhat  on  similar  lines  is  an  effectual  method  that  I 
•c^'nt  from  J.  W.  Tyrrell  and  put  in  practice  during  my 
joL.ney  in  the  far  nortfi.  The  cache  is  made  weather-proof 
and  rain-proof,  then  left  high  in  a  tree,  to  whose  trunk  a  final 
finish  is  given  in  the  form  of  a  complete  necklace  of  cod 

"  1863,  V6L  I,  p.  50. 


Wolverine 


959 


hooks,   points  downward.     Hitherto   this   has  proved  very 

satisfactory.  .....  c 

The  fourth  and  only  infallible  method  is  by  the  use  of 
strychnine.  There  is,  however,  a  wide-spread  feeling  against 
this  The  Indians  believe  it  to  be  an  unholy  practice  that  will 
surely  draw  down  the  wrath  of  the  Great  Spirit.  The  trappers 
say  that  it  ruins  the  fur  of  the  animal  poisoned  and  tends  to  ruin 
all  the  trapping,  as  one  strychnine  bait  may  claim  many  vic- 
tims. Nevertheless,  the  natives  use  poison  for  Wolverines, 
secretly,  but  whenever  they  can  get  it-just  as  they  also  lose  no 
chance  of  getting  certain  other  contraband  poisons  for  their 
personal  use. 

When  Linnaeus  called  this  animal  'luscus,'  or  'half- 
blind,'  he  either  knew  the  creature  very  well  or  stumbled  on  a 
truth,  for  the  Wolverine  has  notoriously  bad  eyesight. 

Coues  thus  comments :"  "  It  is  said  that  if  one  only  stands 
still,  even  in  full  view  of  an  approaching  Carcajou,  he  will 
come  within  50  or  60  yards,  provided  he  be  to  windward,  before 
he  takes  the  alarm.  Even  then,  if  he  be  not  warned  by  sense 
of  smell,  he  seems  in  doubt  and  will  gaze  earnestly  several 
times  before  he  finally  concludes  to  take  himself  off. 

"On  these  and  similar  occasions  he  has  a  singular  habit, 
one  not  shared,  so  far  as  I  am  aware,  by  any  other  beast  what- 
ever He  sits  on  his  haunches  and  shades  his  eyes  with  one  ot 
his  fore-paws,  just  as  a  human  being  would  do  in  scrutinizing 

a  dim  or  distant  object. 

*♦♦****. 
"  Lockhart  writes  that  he  has  been  twice  eye-witness  of  this 
curious  habit  of  the  Wolverine.  Once,  as  he  was  drifting  down 
stream  in  a  small  canoe,  he  came  within  a  short  distance  of  one 
of  the  animals  on  the  bank;  it  stopped  on  perceiving  him, 
squatted  on  its  haunches,  and  peered  earnestly  at  the  advan- 
cing br '  holding  one  fore-paw  over  its  eyes  in  the  manner  de- 
scribed. Not  seeming  to  take  alarm,  it  proceeded  on  a  few 
paces,  and  then  stopped  to  repeat  the  performance,  when 

»  Fur-besring  Anim.,  1877,  p-  S^- 


\i 


i 

r- 

Ill  I 

i  >\ 

i ' 


••0         Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 

Lockhart,  now  sufficiently  near,  fired  and  killed  the  beast. 
On  another  occasion,  when  the  same  gentleman  was  crossing 
the  Rocky  Mountains,  a  Wolverine,  which  had  become  alarmed 
and  was  making  off,  stopped  frequently  and  put  up  his  paw  in 
the  same  manner  in  order  to  sec  more  clearly  the  nature  of 
that  which  had  disturbed  him." 

Bachman  remarks"  of  a  captive  European  Wolverine 
that  he  observed  in  Denmark:  "He  was  somewhat  averse 
to  the  light  of  the  sun,  keeping  his  eyes  half  closed  when 
exposed  to  the  rays."  All  evidence  shows  that  the  Wolverine 
of  the  north  is  troubled  with  eyes  that  suffer  in  a  dazzling 
light. 

Snow-blindness  is  a  wide-spread  complaint  among  the 
human  dwellers  of  these  white  wastes  in  spite  of  their  various 
contrivances  to  prevent  it.  I  have  often  wondered  how  the 
animals  escape,  especially  those  that  travel  by  day.  Proof  that 
they  do  not  always  get  off  easily  is  found  in  the  following  by 
Mrs.  Mary  Austin.  In  describing  the  terrors  of  a  great  snow 
on  the  High  Sierra,  she  adds:"  "Even  the  Deer  make  slow 
going  in  the  deep,  fresh  snow,  and  once  we  found  a  Wolverine 
going  blind  and  feebly  in  the  white  glare." 

In  many  early  accounts  and  pictures  the  Wolverine  is 
presented  as  a  plantigrade  animal,  that  is,  one  that  sets  the 
whole  foot  on  the  ground,  in  bear-fashion.  Numerous  ob- 
servations on  living  specimens,  as  well  as  a  study  of  its  trail, 
show  that  it  treads  on  the  toes  only,  is  truly  digitigrade,  as  are 
most  of  the  Weasel  Family.  Though  bear-like  in  gai.  and 
clumsy  in  build,  this  animal  is  neither  slow  nor  luggish.  A 
captive  specimen  which  I  observed  galloped  near  all  day  up 
and  down  its  cage,  its  head  low,  its  back  high  arched,  its 
movements  lumbering  but  vigorous,  and  seemingly  tireless. 

sinENGTH         Hearne,  on  his  famous  journey,  had  much  experience  with 
Wolverines,  and  writes  thus:"    "As  a  proof  of  their  amazing 


"  Quad.  N.  A.,  1849,  Vol.  I,  p.  aoy. 
"  Land  of  Little  Rain,  1904,  p.  357. 


'  Journey,  1795,  p.  373. 


Wolverine 


061 


•trength,  there  was  one  at  Churchill  -ome  years  since,  that  over- 
set the  greatest  part  of  a  pile  of  wood  (containing  a  whole  win- 
ter's firing,  that  measured  upwards  of  seventy  yards  round)  to  get 
at  some  provisions  that  had  been  hid  there  by  the  Company  s 
servants,  when  going  to  the  Factory  to  spend  the  Christmas 
holidays.    The  fact  was,  this  animal  had  been  lurking  about 
in  the  neighbourhood  of  their  tent  (which  was  about  eight  miles 
from  the  Factory)  for  some  weeks,  and  had  committed  many 
depredations  on  the  game  caught  in  their  traps  and  snares,  as 
well  as  eaten  many  Foxes  that  were  killed  by  guns  set  for  that 
purpose;   but  the  Wolverine  was  too  cunning  to  take  either 
trap  or  gun  himself.    The  people,  knowing  the  mischievous 
disposition  of  those  animals,  took  (as  they  thought)  the  most 
effectual  method  to  secure  the  remains  of  their  provisions, 
which  they  did  not  choose  to  carry  home,  and  accordingly  tied 
it  up  in  bundles  and  placed  it  on  the  top  of  the  wood-pile 
(about  two  miles  from  their  tent),  little  thinking  the  Wolverine 
would  find  it  out;  but,  to  their  great  surprise,  when  they  re- 
turned to  their  tent  after  the  holidays,  they  found  the  pile  of 
wood  in  the  state  already  mentioned,  though  some  of  the  trees 
that  composed  it  wc  re  as  much  as  two  men  could  carry.    The 
only  reason  the  people  could  give  for  the  animal  doing  so  much 
mischief  was  that,  in  his  attempting  to  carry  off  the  booty, 
some  of  the  small  parcels  of  provisions  had  fallen  down  into 
the  heart  of  the  pile,  and,  sooner  than  lose  half  his  prize,  he 
pursued  the  above  method  till  he  had  accomplished  his  ends. 
The  bags  of  flour,  oatmeal,  and  peas,  though  of  no  use  to  him, 
he  tore  all  to  pieces  and  scattered  the  contents  about  on  the 
snow    but  every  bit  of  animal  food,  consisting  of  beef,  pork, 
bacon,  venison,  salt  geese,^  partridges,  etc.,  to  a  considerable 
amount,  he  carried  away." 

When  fighting  or  under  intense  excitement  it  emits  a  noirr. 
strong  musky  odour.    This,  as  in  all  Weasels,  is  produced  by 
the  anal  glands.     It  is  very  strong  in  the  present  species  and  is 
another  justification  of  the  name  Skunk-bear.    Although  it 
usually  avoids  man,  the  hunters  generally  testify  that  it  can  on 


M«         Life  histories  of  Northern  Animals 

occasion  face  him  very  buvely,  and  rarely  flies  from  any  foe 
on  four  legs. 

Such  is  the  opinion  by  Hearne,  who,  with  convincing 
reserve,  says:" 

"  With  respect  to  the  fierceness  of  this  animal  which  some 
assert,  I  can  say  little,  but  I  know  them  to  be  beasts  of  great 
courage  and  resolution,  for  I  once  saw  one  of  them  take  pos- 
session of  a  Deer  that  an  Indian  had  killed,  and,  though  the 
Indian  advanced  within  twenty  yards,  he  would  not  relinquish 
his  claim  to  it,  but  suffered  himself  to  be  ...ot  standing  on  the 
Deer.  I  once  saw  a  similar  instance  of  a  Lynx,  or  Wild-cat, 
which  also  suffered  itself  to  be  killed  before  it  would  relinquish 
the  prize.  The  Wolverines  have  also  frequently  bceu  seen  to 
take  a  Deer  from  a  Wolf  before  the  latter  had  time  to  begin  his 
repast  after  killing  it.  Indeed,  their  amazing  strength,  and  the 
length  and  sharpness  of  thj  >  claws,  render  them  capable  of 
making  a  strong  resistance  against  any  other  animal  in  those 
pans,  the  Bear  not  excepted." 

One  of  my  mountaineer  friends,  Abe  Leeds,  of  Idaho, 
gives  me  a  stirring  account  of  a  meeting  between  two  Wolver- 
ines and  a  Cinnamon  Bear,  over  a  dead  ^ik.  All  three  had 
been  feeding  there  for  ome  days.  But  the  Bear  -ne  orce 
when  both  Wolverines  wi  e  in  possession.  Leeds  ^  I'ng 
for  the  Bear,  but  the  Wolverines  ai.^cked  the  new  t  rst  ..,,h 
great  fury,  and,  although  the  battle  was  little  rr  -<  Ui-^.i 
snarling  and  heavy  growhng,  extraordinarily  so  for  a.i  .i.iial 
so  small  as  the  Wolverine,  the  Bear  went  off  and  left  them  in 
possession. 


rcx>D 


In  ancient  books  the  Wolverine  is  credited  with  being  rl  c 
inveterate  enemy  of  the  Beaver  and  the  Reindeer.  One  m;  .-iit 
reasonably  infer  from  two  favourite  and  precious  pictures  of 
fifty  years  ago  that  these  two  and  none  other  were  its  habitual 
and  limited  diet.  All  the  evidence  I  can  gather,  and  it  is 
much,  goes  to  show  that  while  it  can  climb  and  swim 
it  is  not  much  at   home  in  the  tices  or  in  the  water.    In 

"  Ibid.,  p.  37a. 


gj^m 


k&iaSNi 


"^■^^ii'fe. 


ft 


W'^'i 


"'///i'"'' 


I 

A 


/I 


ii'hlijji 


''-'^-1;, 


■■MfHiki 


tt^^^^i^MMtfM 


iMli 


964         Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 

other  words,  both  Deer  and  Beaver  arc  usually  safe  from 
its  attacks. 

Hearne,  after  living  for  years  in  the  fur  countries,  writes:" 
"These  animals  are  great  enemies  to  the  Beaver,  but  the 
manner  of  life  of  the  latter  prevents  them  from  falling  into  their 
clutches  so  frequently  as  many  other  animals;  they  commit  vast 
depredations  on  the  Foxes  during  the  summer,  while  the  young 
ones  arc  small;  their  quick  scent  directs  them  to  their  dens,  and 
if  the  entrance  be  too  small,  their  strength  enables  them  to 
widen  it,  and  go  in  and  kill  the  mother  and  all  the  cubs.  In  fact, 
they  are  the  most  destructive  animals  in  the  country."  Richard- 
son's views  are  in  line.'*  It  "  feeds  [he  says]  chiefly  upon  the  car- 
cases of  Seasts  that  have  been  killed  by  accident.  ♦  *  *  It  feeds 
also  on  Meadow-mice,  Marmots,  and  other  rodentia,  and  occa- 
sionally on  disabled  quadrupeds  of  a  larger  size.  I  have  seen 
one  chasing  an  American  Hare,  which  was  at  the  same  time 
harassed  by  a  snowy  owl."  Coues,  condensing  many  accounts, 
says"  they  will  devour  "anything  they  can  catch  or  steal.  Their 
own  flesh  is  eatable  only  in  the  extreme  of  starvation,"  but  he 
does  not  make  it  clear  whether  it  is  the  hunter  or  the  Wolverine 
that  must  be  starving  before  it  will  eat  Wolverine  meat.  Han- 
bury  records  the  species  feeding  on  Ground-squirrels. 

The  more  light  we  have  on  the  habits  of  the  Wolverine, 
the  more  its  living  prey  diminishes  in  size,  and  I  doubt  not 
that  continued  investigation  will  dwindle  its  main  support  into 
Ground-squirrels  or  Mice,  with  even  these  taking  second 
place  in  its  affections  to  carrion  or  stolen  meat.  Nevertheless, 
a  marked  and  wonderful  exception  has  just  come  to  hand;  an 
evidence  of  what  this  creature  can  do  when  pushed  by  the  dire 
extremity  of  famine.  J.  Kcele,  of  the  Canadian  Geological 
Survey,  while  travelling  on  Third  Lake,  Ross  River  (an  affluent 
of  the  Pelly),  March  27,  '908,  came  on  a  Moose  that  was  floun- 
dering in  the  deep  snow.  He  and  his  companion  shot  it  before 
they  realized  that  it  was  already  done  nearly  to  death  by  a 
Wolverine  that  had  leaped  on  its  back  from  a  tree.'' 

"  Journey,  1795,  p.  37a.  ■  p.  B.  A.,  i8a(),  I,  p  43. 

"  Fur-beariiig  Anim.,  1877,  P-  S»-     "  Fo«»t  and  Stream,  December  19, 1908,  p.  971. 


Wolverine 


965 


The  name  of  Skunk-bear  is  not  at  all  a  bad  one  in  de-  ro* 
scribing  the  fur  of  the  Wolverine.  With  the  size  of  a  small 
Bear,  something  of  the  quality  of  a  Bear  robe,  and  yet  with  the 
two  paler  bands  spreading  from  the  nape  of  the  neck  along  the 
sides  to  unite  again  in  the  bushy.  Skunk-like  tail,  which  further 
rejoices  in  a  respectable  modicum  of  smell  to  complete  the  semi- 
imitation,  it  is  quite  worthy  of  its  trapper's  name. 

During  the  eighty-five  years,  1821  to  1905  inclusive,  the 
Hudson's  Bay  Company  collected  101,426  skins  of  this  species, 
an  average  of  i ,  1 92  for  each  year.  The  lowest  was  402  in  1 827 ; 
the  highest,  2,322,  in  1879.  The  average  for  the  ten  years, 
1895  to  1905,  was  736. 

Poland's  lists  show  that  during  the  seventy-one  years, 
1821  to  1891  inclusive,  10,596  skins  were  taken  by  the  other 
American  companies,  an  average  of  149  for  each  year.  So 
that  the  average  annual  catch  of  Wolverine  for  fur  is  about 
1,300. 

At  the  London  annual  fur  sales,  held  at  Lampson's, 
March,  1906,  757  Wolverine  skins  were  sold.  The  highest 
price  realized  was  34  shillings  ($8.16)  each,  for  64  first-class 
dark  skins,  from  which  they  graded  down  to  7  shillings  (5i.68) 
for  third-class  skins. 

The  Winnipeg  market  quotations  on  March  26, 1904,  were 
$2  to  |I6  for  prime  Wolverine. 


itmm 


XLIII. 


I 


The    Hudsonian   Skunk,    Northern    Skunk,    Black- 
tailed  Skunk,  or  Prairie  Polecat. 

Mephitis  hudsonica  Richardson. 

(L.  Mephitis,  a  pestilential  exhalation;   L.  hudsonica,   Hudaonian,  t.  e.,  of  Hudson 

Bay  Territory.) 

Mephitis  americana  var.  hudsonica  Richardson,  1829,  F.  B. 

A.,  I,  p.  55- 
Mephitis  hudsonica  Bangs,   1895,  Proc.  Bost.  Soc.  N.  H., 

XXVI,  p.  534- 
Type  Locality. — Plains  of  the  Saskatchewan. 

French  Canadian,  V Enfant  du  diable;  le  Chinche; 

la  Moujfette;   la  Bete  puante. 
Cree,  Ojib.  &  Saut.,  Shee-gawk'.     In  this  we  see 

the   origin    of  the   word    'Chicago,'    meaning 

•Skunk-land.' 
Yankton  Sioux,  Mah-cah. 
Ogallala  Sioux,  Mah-kah'. 
Chipewyan,  Nool'-tsee-a. 
Huron,  Scangaresse  (Sagard-Theodat). 
Abenaki,  Seganku  (Rasles).    The  word  'Skunk'  is 

traced  to  the  last  two  Indian  words. 


The  true  Skunks  belong  to  the  Weasel  Family  (Mustelida) 
and  to  the  Digger  or  Badger  sub-division  of  the  group  (Melina). 
They  form  the  genus  Mephitis  (Cuvier,  1800)  and  are  about 
the  size  of  a  common  house  cat;  have  short  ears,  long  fur,  very 
large  and  bushy  tails,  are  black  in  colour,  with  a  thin  white 


Hudsonian  Skunk 


967 


stripe  on  the  face  and  a  broad  one  beginning  on  the  nape,  fork- 
ing on  the  shoulders  to  reach  to  the  hind-quarters  or  sometimes 
nearly  to  the  tip  of  the  tail;  they  are  at  least  partly  plantigrade, 
and  have  the  fore-claws  very  large  and  suited  for  digging;  but, 


Fic.  aJ5-Thc  riihl  front  uid  right  hil)<l-p4w  of  Hudwnian  Skunk. 

Taken  M  M^fshalltowii,  la.    'I-ifc  si^c.i 

above  all.  they  have  greatly  developed  anal  glands  which  pro- 
duce the  liquid  musk  that  they  eject  with  such  notable  effect 
in  self-defence. 
The  teeth  are: 


?-?  i-i  ^-?         1   i~' 

Inc. -^;  can. — ;  prem.  ^2~^;  mol. -— -34 


3-3 


In    addition   U'  these  generic  characters  the  Hudsonian 
Skunk  has: 

Length,  about  28    inches    (711mm.);     tail,    loj   inches  ske 
(267  mm.);    hind-foot,  3^  inches  (82  mm.; 


968 


Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 


it 


f 


'I,.; 


1. 


IM 


WEIGHT 


COLOUR 


A  large  male  which  I  weighed  in  the  Yellowstone  Park, 
July  29,  1897,  was  8}  pounds;  another,  a  winter  specimen 
taken  in  Iowa,  weighed  jl  pounds. 

Genen  !  olour  black,  with  a  thin  stripe  down  the  face 
between  the  eyes,  and  the  usual  white  nape  from  which  a  broad 
white,  or  creamy  white,  stripe  goes  back  to  the  shoulders, 
where  it  forks  and  continues  along  the  sides  into  the  tail,  which 
is  of  black  hairs  with  white  bases,  and  ends  in  a  blunt  black 
brush. 

Their  black  and  white  colour,  with  their  size,  their  slow 
movements,  and  their  immense  bushy  tail,  usually  held  alof;, 
will  distinguish  the  true  Skunks  from  any  other  animals  found 
in  North  America. 

Brown  or  cream-coloured  freaks  of  most  kinds  of  Skunks 
have  been  found. 

At  least  8  species  of  Mephitis  are  recognized;  of  these,  3 
enter  Canada.  Taking  Howell's  "Revision"'  as  a  stsrting 
point,  these  may  be  diagnosed  as  follows: 

Canada  Skunk  (M.  mephitis  Schreber).— Size,  large;  that 
is,  about  24  inches  long,  of  which  the  tail  is  8  inches;  the  hind- 
foot  is  about  3  inches.  The  tail  s'ort  and  slender,  mixed  black 
and  whir  ;  all  its  hairs  are  white  at  base;  tip,  white.  The 
side  stripes  from  shoulder  are  narrow,  but  usually  reach  the 
tail.     Markings  constant;  skull  large  and  massive. 

Two  races'  of  this  are  recognized,  the  typical  mephitis,  or 
Northern  form,  and  the  Eastern  Skunk,  M.  mephitis  putida 
(Boitard),  which  differs  mainly  in  being  smaller  with  longer 
tail;  that  is,  in  length  about  22  inches,  tail  about  9  inches,  hind- 
foot  about  2|  inches. 

Northern  Plains  Skunk  {M.  hudsonica  Rich.).— Size, 
very  large;  that  is,  length  about  28  inches  or  more,  of  which  the 
tail  is  about  io|  inches;  the  hind-foot  3^  inches.  The  tail 
is  of  medium  length,  heavy  and  ending  in  a  blunt  black  brush; 
skull  heavy,  with  a  long  palate;   zygomata  broadly  spreading. 

'  N.  A.  Fauna,  No.  ao,  August,  igoi. 

'  Howell  makes  them  species;  I  follow  Rhoads  in  making  them  races. 


I'l.ATF,   IXXX.      SKUI.I.   OF   MEPHITIS    HUDWINirA     f    (NAIUKM.  SIZE). 
Cut  (nwn  A.  H.  Ho-ells  ■  Kcvisi.m  .<  the  SkunU"  plate  \  I.     N.  A.  F.un..  X.^  jo,  i«oi.  lliol<«i.>l  Sunrfy.  U.  S.  Drp.  .\ir. 


II  \IK  l.XXXI  — SKHI.I.  OF  MUSTEI  A  AMEKICANA  (NATTTIAI,  SIZE). 
Cut  fr..m  \V  H  l  '»ii  ..Is  ■  Yuk..n  Rigi'in.'  p.  44     N   A   Kauna,  No.  !«,  luoo,  BnilngUal  Survey,  l'  S  Drp  Afr. 


\ 


in 


i-i 


!> 


Hudsonian  Skunk 


969 


PuGET  Sound  Skunk  (Af .  occidentaUs  spissigrada  Bangs). 
—Much  like  hudsonica,  but  with  longer  tail  and  well-marked 
cranial  characters;   skull  much  narrower,  etc. 

The  Skunk  of  the  Manitoba  prairies  is  the  Great  Plains 
Skunk,  but  it  is  quite  likely  that  in  the  wooded  north-eastern 


Fia  m6— Head  ol  Hif^"-*''"  Skunk  J,  irom  lom.    (Life  »x.) 

part  of  the  Province  we  may  find  the  true  Mephitis  mephitis 
(Schreber)  or  Canada  Skunk. 


Life-history, 

The  present  species  is  found  in  every  part  of  south-  {^^ 
western  Manitoba,  but  is  scarce  in  the  pine  forest  to  the  north-  toba 
east.     Its  greatest  numbers  are  found  in  the  broad  pond  and 
poplar  belt  from  Dufferin  to  Dawson. 

Its  favourite  localities  are  the  edges  of  the  woods  and  envi- 
marshes,  where  sunlight  and  cover  mingling  provide  it  with  ment 
abundant  food,  as  well  as  warmth  and  shelter.     It  likss  the 
dense  forest  less  than  it  does  the  open  prairie.    The  traveller 
on  the  Souris  Plains  is  sure  to  meet  with  some  Skunks  or  have 


970         Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 

them  visit  his  camp  by  night,  but  the  great  pine  forest  is  almost 
skunkless. 


HOMl- 
RANdJ 


The  home-range  of  each  individual  is  doubtless  very 
small.  The  creature's  powers  and  mode  of  life  preclude  the 
possibility  of  its  roaming  far  afield.  I  have  often  followed  its 
tracks  in  the  early  or  late  snow,  from  the  den  through  many 
places  and  adventures  in  quest  of  food,  then  back  to  the  den,  to 
learn  that  at  no  time  did  it  go  more  than  two  or  three  hundred 
yards  from  home.  In  warm  weather,  because  more  active,  it 
may  go  farther,  but  this  is  doubtful,  because  food  is  more 
plentiful  then  and  it  is  still  less  forced  to  travel.  I  believe  a 
half-mile  radius  would  reach  the  Ultima  Thule  of  its  ordinary 
wanderings. 


ABUN- 
DANCE 


a    .1| 


'l 


I- 


In  the  dry  part  of  the  pond  and  poplar  belt  of  Manitoba, 
it  would  be  safe  to  estimat*'  the  Skunk  at  i  to  every  square 
mile.  In  the  prairie  region,  it  is  probably  a  fiftn  as  numerous, 
and  in  the  pine  forest  the  niimber  may  be  again  divided  by  5. 
This  would  give  us  a  Skunk  population  of  some  20,000.  To 
approach  the  problem  from  another  side,  the  Hudson's  Bay 
Company  exoorts  about  10,000  Skunk  skins  each  year. 
Judged  by  area,  about  half  must  be  of  this  species,  and  one- 
tenth  of  these,  again,  come  from  Manitoba,  but  the  free  traders 
get  ns  many  as  the  Company,  and  lialf  at  least  of  those  killed 
arc  destroyed  (»y  farmers  who  do  m  t  skin  them.  So  that 
i.coo  each  year  is  not  too  high  an  estimate  of  those  killed  in 
Manitoba  by  man  alone,  besides  which  are  many  enemies  that 
will  surely  double  the  casualty  list.  The  average  number  of 
young  seen  with  the  mother  in  the  fall  is  2  or  not  more  than  3 ; 
the  litter  at  birth  is  double  as  many.  This  shows  that  the 
destruction  of  the  very  young  by  Coyotes,  Foxes,  Badgers, 
owls,  eagles,  etc.,  is  very  high,  and  also  that,  since  winter 
hardships  are  still  ahead,  the  Skunks  cannot  double  their 
number  in  a  year;  50  per  cent,  drain  is  all  I  believe  the  species 
can  stand  ir  the  most  favourable  food  localities.  But  the 
Skunks  in  Manitoba  are  far  from  decreasing  under  the  csti- 


MAP  52-  RARGfc  OF  THE  LAROK  SKUHKS  OF  THF.  GKNUS  MEPHITIS. 


Thi.  map  i.  founded  chiefly  .n  A.  K   Howelr     krv,:,ion.  V.  A.  lajn..  No.  .0   .00..    Spojtfd  on  it  «e  tdl  the  "T?';^'.  ""i  "j^J"! '!? 
man  found  in  &n«i.,  crr,^  «,u(m<^.-<  *■  Irh  h.rr'    .nuT..  B,:rish  .  ..,u-.  .        A''''"'""''  ";?;^?  '  j  ,Srii..  Ih '  rToK T/'w  ' 

Scloo  »re  marked.    The  lifr^n  lin-  i»  r.-.nsf  <  (  .).,  H      •••1  Skunk  ,  il.  Kurf^  .'    thu  «  left  unlinted  M         1  ol»curmg  Uie  range  i4  rac. 

M«,l  ':  •boootii  B«n«  MepktH,  occUhmtllB  B^nJ,  wltli  s  racM. 


Mtphllii  mtkmt  (Shaw)  with  3  ricn. 
Mtphmt  hi^nfca  Rich., 


MtfKUU  f^HJa  Boitwd, 


KUfif-itU  i 


r  Mcrria^ii, 
971 


Mcphmi  mocmiri  Lkht.,  with  3  nc**- 


^ki^ 


97i 


Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 


SOCIA 

muTY 


mated  drain  of  4,000  adults  per  annum.  This  would  pre- 
suppose a  population  of  not  less  than  10,000.  Between  10,000 
and  20,000,  then,  would  be  a  fair  estimate  of  the  Skunks  living 
in  M  initoba  to-day. 

The  species  is  said  by  many  trappers  to  go  occasionally  in 
droves  of  6,  8,  or  10.  Kennicott  cites*  a  case  where  there  were 
1 5  together  in  a  winter  den.  This  is  true,  but  these  droves  are 
simply  the  family  of  the  year.  They  stay  together  all  fall  and 
winter,  though  now  full  grown,  inhabiting  one  nest  and  seeking 
food  together.  In  this  limited  sense  only  is  the  Skunk  sociable 
and  gregarious. 


I' '  t 


etc"'  It  is  a  very  silent  animal,  but  it  utters  a  low  'churring'  or 

scolding  sometimes,  when  it  is  disturbed,  without  being  much 
excited,  and  I  have  heard  one  growl  as  it  seized  on  a  grass- 
hopper. It  sometimes  expresses  anger  or  defiance  by  stamping 
with  ''s  front  feet,  and  its  loud  sniffing  at  curious  or  strange 
objects  is  an  expression  of  interest  fully  comprehended  by  its 
fellows. 

The  monstrous  bushy  tail  and  the  black-and-white  pat- 
tern are  no  doubt  direction  or  recognition  marks  that  are 
well  known  to  the  live  creatures  of  its  region.  Day  or  night, 
they  notify  all  the  world:  "  I  am  a  Skunk;  no  one  can  hurt  me 
with  impunity."  The  wild  folk  do  not  fail  to  profit  by  this 
blazonment  of  the  fact,  and  thus,  incidentally,  the  Skunk  is 
saved  a  deal  of  unprofitable  exertion. 

Abbott  H.  Thayer,  I  learn,  takes  the  contrary  view.  He 
believes  that  the  markings  of  the  Skunk  are  intended  to  hide  it 
from  its  prey,  by  breaking  up  its  breadth  of  black. 

PAIRING  In  Manitoba,  the  mating  season  appears  to  be  from  the 

first  to  the  middle  of  March,  and  most  of  the  hunters  believe 
that  the  species  is  strictly  monogamous.  Miles  Spencer,  of 
Fort  George,  Hudson  Bay,  thinks*  that  the  Skunk  mates  in 
October,  but  I  find  no  other  supporter  of  this  view. 

•  Quad.  111.,  1858,  p.  249.         *  Low.  Expl.  James  Bay.,  1888,  App.  Ill,  p.  77  J. 


Hudsonian  Skunk 


97S 


If  the  Skunk  digs  its  own  habitation,  it  usually  selects  a  den 
dry  place  on  some  hillside,  but  sometimes  uses  the  burrow  of 
a  Badger  or  a  Muskrat,  or  it  enlarges  the  den  of  a  Ground- 
squirrel  to  proper  dimensions.  It  is  also  very  ready  to  use  a 
place  under  an  out-house  or  farm-building;  indeed,  any  kind  of 
a  hole  will  appeal  to  the  Skunk,  provided  it  be  large  enough,  dry 
enough,  and  near  enough  to  food.  Kennicott  says:*  "Those 
who  have  opened  the  burrows  on  the  prairie  say  that  it  digs 
a  hole  5  to  10  feet  in  extent  and  a  foot  or  two  below  the  surface; 
at  the  end  a  large  chamber  i?  excavated,  and  in  this  a  nest  of 
soft  grass  is  placed.  The  burrows  which  I  have  observed 
were  always  on  high  ground,  and  usually  in  sandy  soil;  they 
were  never  at  the  edges  of  watercourses  and  ponds,  like  those 
of  the  Mink.  In  rocky  regions  its  residence  will  be  found  in 
the  crevices  of  the  rocks.  *  *  *  I  have  occasionally  known  it 
to  take  refuge  in  fallen  hollow  trees." 

A.  S.  Barton  writes  me  that  the  Skunk  abounds  in  the 
flat  marshy  country  about  Boissevain,  Man.,  and  that  the  un- 
usual conditions  there  have  resulted  in  a  new  kind  oi  Skunk 
architecture.  "I  found,"  he  says,  "a  number  of  Skunk  dens 
on  the  open  meadow?  one  year.  They  were  made  like  the 
houses  of  Muskrats,  but  much  smaller,  on  dry  land,  and  of 
fine  grass.  I  thought  thcni  the  work  of  s^ome  abnormal  Musk- 
rat  till  I  poked  a  stick  in  one  and  provoked  the  occupant  to 
fire  off  his  unmistakable  scent." 


I  have  no  evidence  on  the  period  of  gee; -1. ion.  It  is  likely  to  yoono 
be  nearly  the  same  as  in  the  Mink,  that  'i,  42  days.    The  young 
are  born  about  the  end  of  April  or  early  in  May,  and  number 
usually  4  to  6,  but  have  been  known  as  high  as  10  in  a  litter. 

At  birth  they  are  about  the  size  of  a  Mouse,  are  naked,  and 
yet  show  plainly,  in  two  shades,  the  pattern  of  the  livery  they 
are  destined  to  wear.  Indeed  it  is  easier  to  follow  the  plan  of 
markings  now  than  at  any  other  time.  Eyes  and  ears  alike  are 
closed  for  some  days  after  they  enter  this  world  of  sights  and 
sounds. 

*  Loc.  cit.,  p.  348. 


974 


Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 


M.  L.  Michael,  of  the  Skunk-farm  once  existing  in  Monroe 
County,  Pa.,  gives  the  following  interesting  illustration  of  the 
mother  Skunk's  devotion. 

"One  night,"  says  he,'  "I  brought  a  female  and  her  7 
babies,  two  or  three  weeks  old,  and  enclosed  them  in  a  wooden 
box.  In  the  morning  they  were  gone.  The  mother  had 
gnawed  through  the  corner  of  her  prison.  Knowing  that  the 
young,  unable  to  walk,  had  been  carried  by  their  mother,  I 
called  a  dog  trained  to  trail  them,  which  at  once  led  off.    I 


Fio.  127— Yount  o(  U.  fulUa  juii  More  birth  (life  liie).    Weight  15  gnmmei. 

Cos  Cob,  Conn.,  M^y  t2,  1906. 

followed  closely.  A  mile  away  the  mother  was  located  in  a 
burrow.  My  men  dug,  and  there  we  found  her  with  her  7 
children.  By  noting  her  tracks  across  a  freshly  harrowed  field, 
we  discovered  that  she  had  made  4  trips,  bearing  necessarily  2 
each  trip,  except  once,  when  she  took  but  i."  Thus  she 
travelled  7  miles  that  night. 

About  the  time  their  eyes  opened  many  young  Skunks 
were  brought  by  the  Indians  to  Hine's  taxidermist  shop  at 
Winnipeg.  Though  no  larger  than  half-grown  rats,  they  would 
at  once,  when  frightened,  assume  their  traditional  attitude  of 
defence,  and  go  through  all  the  motions  of  receiving  an  enemy 
and  repelling  him  with  the  musk.  But  the  musk  itself  was 
lacking.  When  they  were  about  a  month  old,  however,  it  began 
to  be  secreted,  and  henceforth  grew  in  strength  and  quantity  till 
at  three  months  the  Skunklets  were  fully  equipped  and  usually 
had  to  be  destroyed  i'or  their  over-readiness  to  prove  its  power. 

The  young  remain  in  the  den  all  spring,  never  going  more 
than  a  few  yards  away  from  home,  and  live  on  milk.     About 

*  Recreation  Magazine,  November,  1901,  p.  362. 


Hudsonian  Skunk 


975 


midsummer  they  begin  to  follow  their  mother  abroad  like  a 
litter  of  little  pigs  after  the  old  sow.  They  are  such  a  pretty 
playful  lot  and  she  such  a  loving  and  assiduous  guardian  that 
the  group  realizes  the  ideal  of  family  life,  excepting  perhaps  in 
one  particular— the  father  is  not  present.  After  many  in- 
quiries among  hunters  and  naturalists  I  am  forced  to  believe 


Fio.  »g— Mutolocr  of  Skunk. 

that  the  mother  alone  is  active  in  caring  for  the  brood,  at  least 
when  they  are  very  small. 

Their  growth  is  rapid.  In  Ontario,  I  once  found  the 
young  iputiJa)  one-third  grown  and  travelling  abroad  on 
June  21,  and  the  other  two-thirds  grown  by  the  first  week 

of  July. 

Soon  after  this  the  group  is  increased,  it  would  seem,  by 
the  return  of  the  father,  for  I  have  several  times  seen  a 
large  male  Skunk  travelling  with  them,  in  the  fall,  and  am 
inclined  to  think  that  he  returns  to  his  family  as  soon  as  the 
mother  gives  him  permission.  Now  the  reunited  party  wan- 
der about  their  own  range,  not  caring  in  the  least  whether  or 
not  they  reach  home  at  bedtime,  which  is  dawn. 


076 


Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 


By  October  the  young  might  pass  for  aduhs,  but  careful 
comparison  shows  them  to  be  a  little  smaller  and  much  lighter 
in  weight  than  the  old  ones. 

They  continue  with  their  parents  all  fall  and  all  winter. 
During  the  coldest  weather  they  roll  up  together  in  their  under- 
ground home,  sometimes  the  one  in  which  the  litter  was 
born,  and  become  torpid  till  called  forth  by  a  spell  of  warmer 
days. 

The  actual  breaking  up  of  the  family  is  in  the  spring- 
time, and  the  immediate  cause  seems  to  be  the  rearousing 
mating  instinct  or,  at  least,  the  instinctive  desire  of  the  mother 
to  be  alone  when  the  next  brood  arrives.  The  young  of  the 
previous  year  are  now  fully  grown  and  able  not  only  to  care 
for  themselves,  but  probably  also  to  breed. 


THE 

WEAPON 


:1 


The  Skunk  is  famous  the  world  over  for  its  'smell-gun.* 
This  has  nothing  at  all  to  do  with  the  urine,  as  vulgar  error 
would  have  it.  The  fluid  is  a  liquid  musk  secreted  by  two 
large  glands  under  the  tail.  All  the  Weasels  are  provided  with 
these,  but  they  reach  their  glorious  perfection  in  the  Skunk  and 
furnish  it  with  a  wonderfully  effective  weapon  of  defence. 
The  glands  are  situated  on  each  side  of  the  anus;  the  duct  from 
them  is  ordinarily  hidden  away  within  the  rectum,  but  can  be 
protruded  for  service. 

"The  secretion  is  a  clear  limpid  fluid  of  amber  or  golden- 
yellow  colour,  has  an  intensely  acid  reaction,  and  in  the  evening 
is  slightly  lummous."'  {Merriam.)  It  has  several  other  prop- 
erties of  interest.  Those  who  have  never  smelt  it  may  realize 
some  of  its  power  if  they  imagine  a  mixture  of  perfume  musk, 
essence  of  garlic,  burning  sulphur  and  sewer  gas,  intensified 
a  thousand  times.  It  is  so  strong  that  under  certain  circum- 
stances it  can  be  smelled  for  miles  down  wind.  I  remember 
one  summer  evening  at  Carberry,  Man.,  being  greeted  with 
the  powerful  odour  in  great  and  sudden  force;  next  day  I  found 
that  at  that  time  a  Skunk  had  been  defending  himself  against  a 
dog  on  the  open  prairie,  one  and  a  half  miles  to  windward  of  me. 

'Mam.  Adir.,  1884,  p.  76. 


■ 


PLATE  LXXXII.— A  SKUNK  FAMILY. 
iU.  pulida.) 


««-lK' 


II: 


Hudsonian  Skunk 


977 


And  woe  to  the  unhappy  creature  that  is  made  the  offen- 
target  of  this  battery.  If  it  reaches  his  eyes  it  may  cause  ^^ 
blindness,  at  least  for  a  time;  in  his  nostrils  it  acts  as  a  chok- 
ing irritant.  The  smell  alone  is  powerful  enough  to  upset 
most  stomachs,  and  in  some 
cases  causes  convulsions, 
fainting,  and  even  death. 
Certain  individuals  are  much 
less  powerfully  affected  than 
others,  but,  as  a  rule,  men, 
dogs,  and  wild  creatures 
with  one  accord  prefer  to  let 
the  Skunk  alone.  They 
will  endure  a  terribly  hard 
pinch  of  hunger  before  invit- 
ing a  volley  from  the '  Smell- 
cat's'  famous  'breech-load- 
er,' which,  by  the  way,  is 
also  a  *  repeater,'  for  it  con- 
tains not  one  round,  as 
some  have  supposed,  but 
enough  for  nearly  a  dozen 
discharges,  depending  somewhat  on  the  size  and  age  of  the 
Skunk,  as  well  as  the  time  that  has  elapsed  since  last  it  was 
justified  in  protecting  itself. 

Like  the  rattlesnake,  it  usually  gives  fair  notice,  and  acts  HABrrs 
only  on  the  defensive.  Let  the  Skunk  alone  and  it  will  let  you 
alone.  When  approached  by  an  enemy,  it  usually  makes  off, 
ambling  deliberately,  and  evidently  unwilling  to  provoke 
attack.  If  the  enemy  follow  and  overtake  it,  as  a  man  may 
easily  do,  it  turns  and  faces  about,  and  seems  to  say,  "all  right 
if  you  will  have  it,  come  on."  But  it  still  gives  you  three  fair 
warnings — which  is  almost  scripturally  correct;  the  first  by 
facing  aoout  and  stamping,  the  second  by  raising  and  spreading 
the 'tail,  all  but  the  Jp  which  hangs  downward.  The  third 
final  and  dreadful  warning  is,  when  the  tip  rises  up  and  spreads 


Fio.  119— Anal  torat-fland  of  U.  jmh 
railed  to  eipcw  the  rectum  (R). 
mry  nnill  nuniile. 

Cok  Cob,  Cona.,  Oct.  ta.  i^ot. 


•  9  diiKctcd  ind 
Life  liie,  but  • 


1 


978         Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 


out.  That  white  flag  nailed  to  the  mast  does  not  mean  'sur- 
render,' but  clear  the  deck  for  action.  Then  you  look  out! 
Stand  perfectly  still!  make  no  sudden  move;  it  may  not  yet  be 
too  late!  The  Skunk,  especially  if  an  experienced  old  fellow, 
may  change  its  mind,  haul  down  the  fighting  signal,  mast  and 
all,  forgive  you,  and  go  quietly  away.  A  young  hunter  o;  a 
young  dog  is  likely  to  rush  forward  at  the  beautiful,  innocent- 
looking  animal,  and,  just  as  he  is  about  to  seize  it,  is  sure 
to  get  the  charge  of  blinding,  poisonous  spray,  after  which  the 
Skunk  will  turn  and  go  on  its  way  rejoicing,  quite  confident 
that  that  enemy  is  permanently  routed. 

Very  few  animals  will  face  the  Mephi  .i  is  accustomed 
to  deference.  But  I  knew  of  a  Skunk  tha  ..<ade  a  sad  mistake 
when,  on  finding  a  nest  of  new-born  kittens  out  in  a  fence 
corner,  it  sat  down  to  make  a  comfortable  meal  off  them. 
Their  loud  mewing  brought  the  old  cat  at  racing  speed. 
Raging  nd  fearless,  she  flew  at  that  Skunk.  What  can  f"  '■■ 
a  mother  cat?  What  will  not  a  mother  cat  face,  for 
young?  The  Skunk  fought  with  all  its  weapons,  muzzle- 
loader  and  breech-loader,  long  arms  and  short  arms,  but  was 
badly  defeated  and  escaped,  not  to  be  wiser — Skunks  do  not 
seem  to  learn  discretion — but  probably  to  die.  How  well  I 
remember  that  old  cat,  smelling  to  heaven,  and  blinking  her 
bloodshot  eyes  so  hard  as  she  silently  endured  the  torment 
and  stench.  We  had  a  profound  reverence  for  her  heroism, 
but  we  could  not  endure  her  person,  and,  for  many  weeks  after- 
wards, she  was  energetically  invited  to  tarry  in  the  wilderness. 

The  distance  to  which  the  spray  can  be  thrown  usually  is 
4  to  6  or,  in  exceptional  cases,  perhaps  lo  feet.  If  the  Skunk 
is  approached  on  the  windward  side,  the  distance  is  greatly 
reduced.  I  have  more  than  once  seen  persons  draw  near  the 
Skunk  with  little  fear,  because  the  animal  was  face  on,  and 
tradition  hath  it  that  the  gun  points  backwards  and  is  only 
used  in  Parthian  fight.  But  this  turns  out  at  once  to  be  a  grave 
error.  The  Skunk  throws  its  brush  forward  and  to  one  side, 
bends  down  its  back,  protrudes  the  anus,  and  the  pipe  of*  the 
gland  then  shoots  the  dreadful  liquid  towards  the  foe,  with 


Hudson!;      jkunk 


979 


fearful  precision.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  I  think  the  Skunk 
rarely  fires  straight  ba(  kward.  Its  gun  can  be  trained  in  any 
direction  or  at  any  elevation,  but  it  prefers  to  aim  at  a  foe  that 
it  can  clearly  see. 

Usually  it  is  careful  to  keep  its  coat  and  tail  clear  of  the 
fluid;  it  never  deliberately  shoots  without  elevating  the  tail  ?nd 
clearing  the  deck.  This  has  given  rise  to  the  belief  that  it 
cannot  shoot  with  the  tail  down.  Some  even  maintain  that  a 
Skunk  may  be  safely  lifted  by  the  tail,  as  such  handling  puts 
the  gun  out  of  gear.  I  doubt  not  Skunks  have  suffered  their 
captors  to  lift  them  by  the  tail  without  retaliating,  but  I  am 
satisfied  it  was  choice,  not  incompetence,  that  restrained  them. 

Although  Skunk  musk  is  so  potent  as  to  nauseate  many 
animals,  to  choke  some  and  blind  others,  it  is  a  curious  fact,  as 
every  hunter  knows,  that  a  hound  while  running  a  Rabbit,  may 
run  into  a  Skunk  and  be  so  soaked  with  the  musk  that  he  flies 
in  agony  to  the  nearest  stream  to  roll  in  the  mud  and  wash 
his  burning  eyes  and  nostrils,  then,  within  ten  minutes,  though 
still  stinking  unspeakably,  he  will  take  up  the  faint  Rabbit 
trail  again.     I  do  not  know  how  to  explain  this. 

It  is  often  said  that  clothing  once  skunked  will  smell  for- 
ever. This  is  a  mistake;  the  odour  is  strong  and  durable  but 
can  be  destroyed.  The  usual  method  is  to  bury  the  tainted 
garments.  But  a  better  and  simpler  way  is  to  send  them  to 
the  cleaner — provided  he  will  accept  them — and  there  the 
benzine  method  may  be  relied  on  to  destroy  all  traces  of  the 
'child  of  the  devil,'  as  our  French  neighbours  call  the  Skunk. 

While  I  was  living  in  a  shandy  at  Yancey's  in  the  Yellow-  wor- 
stone  Park,  in  1897,  a  family  of  Skunks  of  this  species  made  ^"^ 
their  home  under  the  floor.  They  came  out  every  evening  to 
pick  up  scraps  about  the  door  or  climb  into  garbage  pails  in 
search  of  eatables.  They  would  even  venture  into  the  house 
when  the  door  was  left  open.  But  no  one  molested  them,  even 
the  dog  refrained,  so  that  the  summer  passed  without  offence. 

Late  one  evening,  I  caught  a  couple  of  them  in  a  box-trap 
in  order  to  keep  them  till  the  light  was  better,  that  I  might  take 


980 


Lifc-historics  of  Northern  Animals 


ifi 


their  pictures.  The  Skunks  watched  me  setting  the  trap,  then 
waddled  into  it  without  loss  of  time,  and  were  caught.  How- 
ever, among  the  revolver-carrying  mountain  men  I  could  not 
find  any  one  brave  enough  to  help  me  in  carrying  the  box  full 
of  Skunks  over  to  the  place  where  they  were  to  be  photographed. 
I  might  have  had  trouble,  but  that  my  wife  volunteered,  and 
the  process  of  immortalization  was  duly  carried  out  next  day 
at  close  range.  More  than  once  the  Skunks  gave  warnings  No.  i 
and  No.  2,  but  I  apologized  by  remaining  still,  and  signal  No.  3 
was  not  hoisted,  nor  had  our  pleasant  acquaintance  any  rupture. 

Near  Toronto,  July  5, 1888, 1  had  an  interesting  adventure 
with  the  Ontario  species  (put  id  a). 

Two  men  in  my  employ  called  my  attention  to  an  old 
Skunk  and  two  well-grown  young  ones  that  were  walking  across 
a  field.  I  told  the  men  to  do  as  I  did,  then  took  a  stout  board 
and  ran  after  one  of  the '  smellers.'  He  ambled  off  but,  finding 
me  close  on  him,  he  faced  about  and  made  ready  for  action. 
I  approached  holding  the  board  in  front  of  me.  When  I  was 
7  or  8  feet  away  he  fired  over  his  own  head.  I  jumped,  and  the 
shower  reached  the  spot  whereon  I  had  stood.  Before  he  could 
get  another  charge  ready  I  rushed  at  him,  pushed  his  tail  down, 
with  the  board  laid  on  his  back,  then,  slipping  a  hand  under 
each  end,  I  caught  him  by  the  neck  and  the  tail,  and  carried 
him  in  triumph  to  a  box.  The  men  tried  to  do  the  same,  but 
both  got  badly  'skunked,'  especially  the  one  who  attacked  the 
mother;  she  made  good  her  escape,  but  the  other  young  one 
was  put  in  a  box  with  his  brother.  This  adventure  cost  me  two 
suits  of  clothes. 

AS  PETS  These  Skunks  I  gave  to  Dr.  W.  Brodie.    He  kept  them  in 

his  yard  in  Toronto,  and  for  some  months  had  no  reason  to 
regret  it,  until  one  day  a  neighbour's  tom-cat  conceived  the 
brilliant  but  unhappy  thought  of  dining  on  one  of  the  'smellers.' 
The  results  were  many,  the  cat  was  temporarily  blinded,  and 
the  neighbour  brought  the  police,  so  that  ultimately  we  were 
compelled  to  dispense  with  our  Skunks  as  pets  inside  the  city 
limits. 


Hudsonian  Skunk 


981 


I  have  had  several  tame  Skunks,  some  of  them  in  full  pot- 
session  of  their  powers,  and  rarely  have  had  cause  to  rue  the 
adoption  of  such  unfragrant  pets.  Still  there  was  always 
danger  of  strange  dogs  rushing  in  unwittingly  and  provoking 
a  round  of  the  irresistible  'scatter-gun.' 

One  of  these  Skunks  was  killed  *>y  a  meal  of  very  strong 
cheese;  this  ^  as  always  thought  to  be  a  rare  tribute  to  the 
strength  of  that  particular  brand. 

His  final  death  struggle  culminated  in  a  grand  discharge 
of  his  battery,  a  paning  salute  to  th-  earth  and  his  friends,  and 
the  cheese. 

It  is  quite  possible  to  disarm  a  Skunk,  not  by  kindness,  but  d» 
by  a  surgical  operation  as  "performed  by  Dr.  J.  M.  Warren,  of  ***™*° 
Boston,  in  the  year  1849.  It  consists  in  making  an  incision 
through  the  skin  directly  in  front  of  the  anus  and  in  snip- 
ping the  ducts  of  the  glands  and  the  basis  of  the  nipple-like 
papillz,  which  projects  into  the  gut  just  within  the  sphincter. 
Adhesive  inflammation  follows  and  permanently  occludes 
the  ducta  at  the  point  of  division.  Therefore,  although 
the  glands  themselves  are  left  in  situ,  the  animal  is  for- 
ever after  incapable  of  ridding  himself  of  their  contents."* 
{Merriam.) 

My  own  experiences  with  tame  Skunks  have  been  slight 
compaicd  with  those  of  Dr.  Merriam,  therefore  I  quote  from 
his  account:*  "Skunks,  particularly  when  young,  make  very 
pretty  pets,  being  attractive  in  appearance,  gentle  in  disposition, 
interesting  in  manners,  cleanly  in  habits— rare  qualities  indeed  I 
They  are  playful,  sometimes  mischievous,  and  manifest  con- 
siderable affection  for  those  that  have  the  care  of  them.  I  have 
had,  at  different  times,  ten  live  Skunks  in  confinement. 
♦♦♦♦*♦♦ 

From  some  of  them  I  removed  the  scent  bags,  but  the 
greater  number  were  left  in  a  state  of  nature.  None  of 
them  /er  emitted  any  odour,  although  a  couple  of  them, 
when  half  grown,  used  to  assume  a  painfully  suggestive  atti- 

•  Mam.  Adir.,  1884,  pp.  78-9.  •  Ibid.,  pp.  7^5. 


98S         Lifc-historics  of  Northern  Animals 

tude  on  the  too  near  approach  of  ttrangcrt— w  lUggMtive 
indeed  that  their  visitors   commonly  beat  a  hasty  retreat. 

«♦♦**•♦ 
Two  summers  ago  I  was  the  happy  master  of  the  cleverest  young 
Skunk  that  1  have  thus  far  chanced  to  meet.    For  a  name  he 
received  the  title  of  his  genus  and  we  called  him  'Meph   for 
short     By  way  of  precaution  I  removed  his  scent  sacs,  and 
he  made  a  rapid  and  complete  recovery  after  a  few  days  of 
temporary  indisposition.    While  driving  about  the  country  m 
the  performance  of  professional  duties,  he  usually  slept  m  my 
pocket     After  supper  I  commonly  took  a  walk,  and  he  always 
followed  close  at  my  heels.    If  I  chanced  to  walk  too  fast  for 
him  he  would  scold  and  stamp  with  his  fore-feet,  and  if  I  per- 
sisted in  keeping  too  far  ahead,  would  turn  about,  disgusted,  and 
make  off  in  an  opposite  direction;  but  if  I  stopped  and  called 
him,  he  would  hurry  along  at  a  short  ambling  pace  and  soon 
overtake  me.    He  was  particularly  fond  of  ladies,  and  I  think 
it  was  the  dress  that  attracted  him;  but,  be  this  as  it  may,  he 
would  invariably  leave  me  to  follow  any  lady  that  chanced  to 
come  near.    We  used  to  walk  through  the  woods  »  a  large 
meadow  which   abounded  in   grasshoppers.    Here     Meph 
would  fairly  revel  in  his  favourite  food,  and  it  was  rich  sport 
to  watch  his  manoeuvres.    When  a  grasshopper  jumped,  he 
jumped,  and  I  have  seen  him  with  as  many  as  three  in  his 
mouth  and  two  under  his  fore-paws  at  one  time.    He  would  eat 
so  many  that  his  over-distended  Htrie  belly  actually  dragged 
upon  the  ground,  and  when  so  full  that  he  could  hold  no  more, 
would  still  catch  and  slay  them.    When  so  small  that  he  could 
scarcely  toddle  about,  he  never  hesitated  to  tackle  the  largest 
and  powerful  beetle  known  as  'horned  bug,'  and  got  many 
smart  nips  for  his  audacity.    But  he  was  a  courageous  little 
fellow,  and  it  was  not  long  before  he  learned  to  handle  them 
with  impunity,  and  it  was  very  amusing  to  see  him  kill  one. 
Ere  many  weeks  he  ventured  to  attack  a  Mouse,  and  the 
ferocity  displayed  in  its  destruction  was  truly  astonishing.    He 
devoured  the  entire  body  of  his  victim,  and  growled  and  stamped 
his  feet  if  any  one  came  near  before  the  repast  was  over. 


Hudsonian  Skunk 


08S 


"  His  nest  was  i^  a  box  near  the  foot  of  the  stairs,  and 
before  he  grew  strong  enough  to  climb  out  by  himself  he  would, 
whenever  he  hearc  me  con  ing,  stand  on  his  hind-h  s,  with  his 
paws  resting  on  the  edge  of  the  box,  and  beg  to  be  carried  up- 
stairs. If  I  passed  by  without  appearing  to  notice  him,  he 
invariably  became  much  enraged  and  chippered  and  scolded 
away  at  a  great  late,  stamping,  meanwhile,  most  vehemently. 
He  always  liked  to  be  carried  up  to  my  office,  and  as  soon  as 
ctrong  enough  would  climb  up  of  his  own  accord.  He  was 
very  sprightly  and  frolicsome,  and  used  to  hop  about  the  floor 
an  !  run  from  room  to  room  in  search  of  something  to  pla>' 
and  frequently  amused  himself  by  attempting  to  demc' 
slippers.  I  have  often  given  him  a  bit  of  old  sponge  '  a 
string  attached,  in  order  to  keep  him  out  of  mischief.  During 
the  evening  he  occasionally  assumed  a  cunning  mood,  and 
would  steal  softly  up  to  my  chair  and,  standing  erect,  would 
claw  at  my  pants  once  or  twice,  and  then  scamper  off  as  fast  as 
his  little  legs  could  carry  him,  evidently  anxious  to  have  me 
give  chase.  If  I  refused  to  follow,  he  was  soon  b9ck  to  try  a 
new  scheme  to  attract  my  attention." 

Skunks  can  bite  when  necessary  and  are  credited  with  fiobt- 
having  occasionally  transmitted  hydrophobia,  much  as  any 
other  carnivore  might.  When  they  '^ght  among  themselves 
they  are  said  to  observe  an  unwritt  law  to  abstain  from 
using  the  musk.  Evidently  \i  woul*  )e  wasted  in  such  a 
combat.  It  would  be  like  r;vo  ducks  splashing  each  other. 
A  Skunk  fight  is  said,  then,  to  <"*  strictly  one  of  tooth  and  claw. 
I  never  witnessed  <  •.  but  tht  following  detailed  case  repre- 
sents several  that  I  ha/e  heard  of. 

About  the  end  of  February,  1903,  at  Wrlch,  Minn.,  Lee  R. 
Gridley,  of  Appleton,  Wis.,  was  out  with  another  trapper. 
They  were  following  a  Skunk  track,  and  presently  came  on  the 
animal  fighting  desperately  with  another  of  its  kind.  The 
Skunks  struggled  for  a  minute  or  two  in  silence,  and  neither  of 
them  used  his  musk.  The  trappers  came  up  and  killed  one 
of  the  combatants;  it  was  a  male.    The  other  escaped — doubt- 


984 


Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 


i.^Al 


SUGHT- 
LY 


less  it  also  was  a  male — but  was  so  injured  that  it  never  came 
out  of  the  hole  into  which  it  had  crawled  at  the  approach  of  the 
men. 

On  several  occasions  I  have  known  this  animal  to  show  a 
AQUATIC  surprising  readiness  in  taking  to  water. 

On  May  23,  1882,  while  travelling  near  Turtle  Mountain, 
Man.,  I  surprised  a  Skunk  in  the  open;  he  turned  to  face  me, 
but  stones  were  plentiful  and  my  range  was  longer  than  his,  so 
he  ran  off.  I  followed  and,  each  time  he  faced  about,  I  drove 
him  on  with  handfuls  of  pebbles  till  he  was  routed  and  fled 
with  unusual  haste.  Too  much  so,  indeed,  for  he  ran  onto  a 
longspit  of  land  that  projected  into  a  small  lake.  At  the  margin 
he  hesitated,  but  a  new  shower  of  pebbles  urged  him  forward, 
and  he  took  to  the  wa-er,  swimming  for  a  low  island  in  the  middle, 
fifty  yards  away.  When  he  got  there  it  turned  out  to  be  noth- 
ing but  floating  weeds.  This  was  a  sad  disappointment;  he 
turned  to  swim  back  to  the  shore,  but  stones  showered  in  the 
water  stopped  him.  He  was  forced  to  cross  the  lake,  here  one 
hundred  yards  wide,  and  very  cold.  When  he  reached  the 
bank  I  was  there  to  meet  him.  But  he  was  much  numbed  and 
lay  almost  lifeless.  Now  I  took  pity  on  him  and  pulled  him 
out;  he  made  no  attempt  to  defend  himself,  but  tamely  sub- 
mitted. I  carried  him  to  a  warm  sunny  nook,  and  there  left  him 
to  recover  in  peace.  This  he  no  doubt  did,  for  I  now  suspect 
that  he  was  not  so  far  gone  as  he  seemed,  but,  finding  that  his 
customary  defence  had  failed,  was  skilfully  playing  'possum. 

The  Skunk  is  not  usually  said  to  be  aquatic,  but  on 
October  2,  1883,  I  saw  5  Skunks  dabbling  in  the  mud  along  a 
pond  near  Minnedosa,  Man.,  and  Miller  Christy,  in  his  paper 
on  the  "Mammals  of  Manitoba,"  says:'"  "One  evening  last 
June  I  assisted  in  the  extermination  of  a  family  party — of 
Skunks — consisting  of  an  old  one  and  six  young  ones,  which 
were  taking  a  bath  at  the  edge  of  the  lake.  The  Skunks  seem 
to  be  fond  of  the  water,  as  on  another  occasion  I  remember 
shooting  one  from  a  boat  as  he  was  near  by  bathing." 

'» Nat.  Hist.  Journal,  May  15,  1885,  York,  Eng. 


|!( 


PLATE  I.XXXIII.--SKUXKS  FIGHTINT.  FOR  A  PIECE  OF  MEAT,  WHILE  THE  FOX  JUDICIOUSLY  HOLDS 

ALOOF.      THE   COMHATANTS   DID    NOT    USE   THEIR    MUSK. 

Scene  dcscrilied  by  L.  \V.  Walker  of  Yeilimstone  Park. 


MlHlll 


■-.> 


jmi^BS 


Hudsonian  Skunk 


985 


The  late  W.  G.  A.  Brodie  informed  me  that  once,  near 
Toronto,  when  his  dog  had  discovered  a  Skunk  {putida),  the 
latter  availed  itself  of  the  first  opportunity  to  rush  into  the  Don 
River,  some  fifty  yards  away.  The  dog  followed  and,  after  a 
prolonged  and  partly  subaqueous  struggle,  the  Skunk  floated 
up  dead  and  the  dog  returned  to  the  shore  perfumed  in  the 
usual  way. 

Similarly  Preble  relates"  of  the  Keewatin  Skunk  {mephit- 
ica):  "While  paddling  up  the  channel  between  Windy  and 
Pine  Lakes,  on  September  12,  we  saw  a  Skunk  swimming 
across  the  stream,  a  hundred  yards  in  front  of  our  canoe. 
On  seeing  us  he  redoubled  his  exertions,  but  we  overtook 
*  ♦  ♦  him  just  as  he  reached  the  shore." 

It  is  quite  settled  now  that  by  far  the  largest  part  of  the  food 
Skunk's  food  is  grasshoppers,  crickets,  insects,  and  Meadow- 
mice.  Ground-squirrels  are  the  next  on  the  bill  of  fare,  with 
eggs  when  it  can  find  them.  Frogs  and  crayfish  enter  largely 
into  the  list  and  snakes  provide  it  an  occasional  meal.  Kenni- 
cott  records"  that  he  knew  of  a  Skunk  running  Gray-rabbits 
into  their  holes  and  there  devouring  them.  At  rare  intervals 
it  discovers  the  hennery  and,  accustomed  to  the  respect  of  all  the 
world,  enters  into  possession  without  a  doubt  that  all  this  was 
meant  for  itself.  Eggs  and  chickens,  also  hens  that  happen  to 
be  roosting  too  low,  are  very  much  to  its  taste.  Commonly, 
however,  the  farmer  has  the  opportunity  of  executing  sum- 
mary vengeance  in  the  morning,  for  the  Skunk,  with  its  usual 
effrontery,  is  frequently  found  curled  up  asleep  in  the  nest  that 
it  rifled  for  the  midnight  feast. 

The  Skunk,  then,  is  insectivorous  and  carnivorous,  indeed 
nothing  of  animal  nature  comes  amiss,  be  it  flesh  or  fish,  bug  or 
carrion.  But  its  powers  are  limited;  it  is  as  ill-adapted  for 
ruining  down  Hares  as  for  catching  salmon  in  a  whirlpool,  or 
chasing  Squirrels  in  the  tree  tops,  so  that  practically  it  is  an 
insect-eater.   And  however  good  (or  bad)  its  intention  may  be, 

■'  N.  A.  Fauna,  No.  aa,  190a,  p.  65. 

■>  Quad.  III.,  Pat.  Off.  Rep..  1859,  p.  049. 


MM 


■iiiiiiiilli 


TRAP- 
PING 


983         Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 

it  is  a  flesh-eater  only  at  intervals.  It  is  credited  with  eating 
fruit.  I  never  saw  one  do  so,  but  have  seen  plenty  of  berry 
seed  in  what  I  took  to  be  Skunk  '  sign.' 

This  animal  has  so  long  enjoyed  immunity  from  attack 
through  the  terror  of  its  armament,  that  it  has  neglected  modes 
of  defence  that  its  ancestors  undoubtedly  employed.  Like 
the  rattlesnake,  it  has  lost  its  speed,  its  ability  to  climb  a  tree, 
and  its  keen  wits.  In  truth,  it  has  become  slow  and  stupid; 
satisfied  with  itself  and  utterly  unsuspicious.  Foxes  and  Wolves 
have  a  sort  of  inborn  knowledge  and  distrust  of  gins  and 
springles,  no  matter  how  carefully  they  are  concealed.  Nothing 
seems  capable  of  inspiring  the  Skunk  with  such  helpful  r  scre- 
dence.  It  will  go  blundering  right  into  the  most  obvious  of  traps, 
even  after  seeing  a  brother  taken  there  the  night,  yes,  an  hour, 
before;  yes,  even  if  itself  has  already  been  caught  therein; 
pitfall,  deadfall,  steel,  or  box-trap,  it  is  all  the  same  to  the 
Skunk,  in  it  goes.  When  caught  in  a  steel  trap  it  may  be 
easily  and  safely  dispatched  by  a  plan  that  Dr.  Merriam  sets 
forth  in  his  "  Mammals  of  the  Adirondacks.'"* 

HOW  TO  Not  by  shooting  it  through  the  heart  or  blowing  its  head 

SKUNK  off— such  a  death  is  usually  accompanied  by  a  tremendous 
discharge— but  by  one  sharp,  heavy  blow  across  the  back. 
This  paralyzes  all  the  muscles  below  the  point  of  injury,  and 
without  muscular  action  no  musk  can  be  vented.  It  is  quite 
easy  to  approach  a  trapped  Sku.ik  if  one  moves  slowly  and 
stands  still  as  soon  as  it  shows  alarm  by  raising  its  tail  or  trying 
to  escape. 

When  caught  in  a  box-trap,  box  and  all  may  be  sunk  in 
water,  for  a  drowned  Skunk  rarely  smells,  but  the  quickest, 
safest,  surest,  and  most  odourless  way  is  that  set  forth  above. 

ENEMIES  The  Hare  is  the  most  harmless  of  creatures.  None  fear 
it;  it  kills  none;  therefore  all  kill  it.  It  has  no  friends.  The  fear 
of  the  Skunk  is  en  all  flesh;  therefore  none  kill  it.    It  has  no 

"•  Pp.  8o-a. 


111 

all 

p 

Is 

IS 


f 


'fl 


M 


i  ■' 


988         Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 

foes,  excepting  always  man  and  ore  or  two  of  the  cutthroats 
and  desperadoes  of  the  animal  world. 

When  facing  death  by  starvation  the  Fox  is  said  to  con- 
sider the  Skunk  the  less  of  the  two  evils;  doubtless  this  is  a 
question  to  be  carefully  pondered. 

The  horned  owl,  the  midnight  pirate  of  the  woods,  is 
known  to  kill  the  Skunk.  Of  course  the  owl  has  an  advantage 
over  all  other  foes.  It  is  silent,  it  can  swoop  down  from  above, 
seizing  the  Skunk  unawares  by  neck  and  loins,  much  as  I  did 
when  I  held  my  captive  under  the  board.  In  this  way  the 
quadruped  is  nearly  helpless.  It  cannot  reach  the  owl  with  its 
musk  or  use  its  teeth  or  claws,  but  it  can  make  the  whole  place 
intolerable,  and  doubtless  the  feathered  assailant  is  often 
repelled.  The  fact  of  its  smelling  strong  of  Skunk  does  not 
by  any  means  prove  that  the  owl  had  dined  off  Skunk.  On  such 
evidence  I  and  many  of  my  friends  might  be  proven  mephitivo- 
rous  carnivores. 

DISEASE  "The  adult  Skunks  taken  at  North  Bay  are  all  infected 

by  the  parasite  that  disfigures  the  frontal  regions  of  the  skulls 
of  a  large  proportion  of  specimens  of  North  American  Mus- 
telidse.  I  subniitted  one  of  the  North  Bay  skulls  with  the 
parasites  preserved  in  formalin  in  situ  to  Dr.  W.  McM.  Wood- 
worth,  who  identified  the  worms  as  Filaroides  mustelarum,  a 
viviparous  nematode  hitherto  recorded  from  Europe  only, 
where  it  has  been  found  in  various  species  of  Putorius  and 
Mustela.""     (Miller.) 


STRANGE 
INSTAN- 
CES 


The  following  strange  instance  was  related  to  me  by  Will 
H.  Thompson,  the  fa.nous  archer:  About  fifty  years  ago  his 
father,  the  Rev.  Griggs  H.  Thompson,  was  travelling  through 
a  wooded  part  of  Missouri  when  he  heard  a  loud  "qu-a-a-a 
qu-a-a-a  qu-a-a-a"  like  the  cry  of  some  little  animal  in  pain. 
He  peered  through  the  bushes  and  saw  a  Cottontail  Rabbit 
leaping  over  the  body  of  a  Skunk,  striking  it  with  its  hind-feet, 

"  Mam.  Ont.,  Proc.  Bost.  Soc.  Nat.  Hist.,  April,  1897,  p.  4a.    See  also  Amer.  Nat., 
March,  1897,  Vol.  31,  pp.  234-5. 


mm 


Hudsonian  Skunk 


989 


and  uttering  the  squealing  he  had  heard.  The  Skunk  was 
dead,  but  eviden  Jy  killed  within  a  few  minutes.  Its  skull  was 
broken.  It  seemed  impossible  that  the  Rabbit  should  have 
done  it,  but  there  was  nothing  to  show  who  did,  or  why  the 
Rabbit  should  be  fighting  the  body. 

The  Skunk  is  regularly  eaten  by  Indians  and  trappers,  flesh 
Provided  the  animal  met  sudden  death  and  was  not  too  old,  the 
flesh  is  said  to  be  white,  tender,  and  well-flavoured. 


All  the  Northern  species  of  the  group  are  standard  fur- 
bearers.  Their  pelts  are  cased;  they  are  prime  from  November 
I  to  April  I. 

During  the  fifty-eight  years,  1848  to  1005  inclusive,  the 
Hudson's  Bay  Company  collected  302,564  skins  of  this  spc  ies, 
an  average  of  5,216  for  each  year.  The  lowest  were  o  in  1849 
and  1,263  in  1848;  the  highest,  12,583,  in  1889.  The  average 
for  the  ten  years,  1895  to  1905,  was  9,425. 

Poland's  lists  show  that  during  the  thirty-four  years,  1858 
to  1 891  inclusive,  9,765,/42  skins  were  taken  by  the  other 
American  companies,  an  average  of  287,218  each  year.  So 
that  the  average  annual  catch  of  Skunk  for  fur  is  about 
390,000. 

The  Winnipeg  market  quotations,  March  26,  1904,  were 
25  cents  to  5i. 

At  the  London  annual  fur  sales,  held  at  Lampson's  in 
March,  1906,  there  were  sold  445,051  Skunk  skins,  chiefly 
from  the  United  States.  The  highest  price  realized  was  11 
shillings  ($2.64)  each  for  a  superb  lot  of  233  Ai  black  skins. 
Inferior  skins  went  as  low  as  2  shillings  or  3  shillings  (48  cer^ts 
and  72  cents).  The  ruling  price  for  first-class  skins  was  8  to  9 
shillings  ($1.92  to  $2.16). 

As  Skunks  are  easily  managed  in  captivity,  and  very 
prolific,  experiments  are  being  made  at  Skunk-farming  for  fur. 
I  summarize  below  our  knowledge  of  this  new  industry. 


rus 


hi 


r 
i''i  t 


■- 


Iri 


990         Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 


Skunk-farming. 

There  is  no  doubt  that  Skunk-farming  can  be  made  to 
pay  in  spite  of  the  fact  that  it  has  failed  a  great  many  times. 
In  nearly  every  case  of  failure  the  cause  has  been  the  same— the 
improper  bunching  of  a  miscellaneous  lot  of  Skunks  in  one 
large  enclosure. 

Condensing  the  experience  of  numerous  observers,  I 
should  say  that  the  Skunk  farmer  needs,  first,  a  large  loose 
pen,  about  an  acre  in  extent,  with  a  6-foot  fence.  Second,  a 
number  of  well-floored  pens,  each  about  lo  by  20  feet,  for 
the  breeding  Skunks;  walls  2  feet  high  would  be  enough  to 
keep  the  Skunks  in,  but  it  is  desirable  to  keep  dogs,  cats,  and 
owls  out.  Chicken-wire  over  the  top  of  the  pens  does  this 
very  well.    It  should  be  high  enough  to  allow  head  room  for 

the  keeper. 

Of  course,  the  Skunk  is  a  powerful  digger;  therefore  the 
walls  of  the  unfloored  pen  should  go  3  feet  underground,  and 
at  the  bottom  should  have  an  underhang,  either  of  stone  or 
galvanized  mesh  wire,  extending  2  feet  in  and  2  feet  out,  to 
prevent  digging  under  from  either  side. 

A  hollow  log  or  other  den  should  be  in  each  breeding  pen 
and  a  number  of  them  in  the  general  pen;  sometimes  the 
Skunks  may  be  allowed  to  dig  their  dens  in  the  loose  pen;  there 
is,  however,  some  uinger  of  disaster  by  a  cave-in,  if  the 
ground  has  been  disturbed  recently.  A  good  plan  is  to  smk 
a  box,  or  stone-built  vault,  on  some  dry  knoll. 

A  bottomless  wooden  box  is  easier  to  make  and  manage, 
but  it  rots  in  a  year  or  two. 

The  good  plan  for  a  small  Skunkery— and  no  one  should 
begin  with  a  large  one — ^would  be  on  the  same  lines  as  that 
suggested  for  Mink,  p.  898. 

The  main  runs  are  all  the  better  if  much  larger,  and 
should  have  a  varied  surface;  the  more  plants,  grass,  etc.,  the 
more  insects  for  the  Skunks  to  hunt  out  and  eat. 


Hudsonian  Skunk 


991 


These  animals  arc  omnivorous  and  should  have  a  greatly  «>ob 
varied  diet.  Table  scraps  are  excellent,  but  chicken  offal,  dog- 
biscuit,  milk,  oil-cake,  mush,  johnny-cake,  fish,  fruit,  and 
insects  are  acceptable  and  wholesome  food.  One  meal  a  day  is 
enough;  it  should  be  given  in  the  evening.  Two  meals  are 
allowable,  but  should  not  together  exceed  the  one-meal  quantity. 


BOW 
MVCB 


How  much  food  should  each  Skunk  have?  This  is  a 
matter  to  be  determined  by  experiment.  If  the  Skunk  com- 
monly leaves  good  food,  you  are  giving  it  too  much;  if  it  gets 
thin,  you  arc  giving  too  little. 

A  weigh  scale  is  a  very  good  help  in  determining  the  latter 

point. 

A  Skunk  cats  about  as  much  as  a  common  cat,  and  nearly 
the  same  diet — with  the  addition  of  insects  and  fruit. 

By  advertising  in  any  country  newspaper  of  the  Northern  otakt- 
States,  it  will  be  found  easy  to  get  as  many  live  Skunks 
as  desired.  From  50  cents  to  $3  each  would  be  fair  prices, 
according  to  age  and  blackness — the  less  white  on  the  Skunk 
the  more  it  is  worth.  The  black  Skunk  is  one  with  white 
on  head  and  tail  only.   The  farther  north  the  better  the  Skunk. 

On   arrival  all  full-grown  individuals  may  be  turned  »i^- 
loose  in  the  general  lun.     If  any  one  seems  specially  quarrel-  mknt 
some,  it  should  be  shut  up  by  itself;  also  any  weak,  small,  or 
young  should  be  kept  apart. 

In  the  month  of  March  or  April,  according  to  latitude,  the 
pregnant  females  arc  separated  and  each  given  a  breeding  pen 
to  herself. 

If  the  Skunks  do  not  admit  of  handling,  you  can  put  them 
in  a  small  cage  with  a  mesh-wire  floor,  and  then  examine  them 
from  the  under  side;  the  distended  belly  with  the  enlarged 
nipples  and  milk-glands  will  show  which  are  destined  to  become 
mothers. 

These  breeders  should  be  extra  well-fed  and  supplied  with 
some  fine  hay  with  which  to  bed  their  den. 


092         Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 

Mating  takes  place  in  March  (varying  with  latitude)  and 
gestation  is  believed  to  last  about  6  weeks.  Thus  most  of  the 
young  will  be  born  about  the  first  of  May.  The  mother  must 
not  be  interfered  with  at  this  time,  and  handling  of  the  young 
is  likely  to  make  her  destroy  them. 

When  about  two  months  old  they  begin  to  come  out  of  the 
nest  and  eat  with  the  mother,  but  when  four  months  old  they 
are  nearly  full  grown  and  may  now  be  introduced  to  the  main 
run. 

As  winter  approaches  their  food  should  be  increased;  the 
colder  the  weather  the  better  the  fur  they  produce.  The  fur 
is  best  about  or  soon  after  Christmas,  and  should  then  be 
marketed. 


SMELL. 
OUN 


Most  persons  ask  at  once,  but  what  about  the  Skunk's 
smeller?  All  experience  goes  to  show  that  the  animal  never 
uses  its  musk  except  in  the  extremity  of  self-defence,  and  may 
live  a  long  life  in  captivity  without  ever  becoming  offensive. 


MARKXT- 
INO 


'Marketing'  is  the  word  that  covers  the  unhappy  process 
of  killing  the  beautiful  fur-bearer  for  its  pelt.  To  kill  a  Skunk 
the  wrong  way  is  to  court  disaster.  The  merciful  way  is  by  a 
lethal  chamber  with  illuminating  gas  or  by  drowning.  The 
trapper's  method,  mentioned  in  the  article  on  the  Skunks,  is 
possible,  but  not  one  that  any  trnder-hearted  person  is  likely 
to  try  on  his  hand-raised  Skunk 

The  oil  that  is  rendered  out  of  the  fat  is  said  to  be  of  high 
market  value  on  account  of  its  medicinal  properties.  It  is 
certainly  an  excellent  lubricant. 

The  bodies,  if  used  to  feed  the  breeding  stock,  should 
oe  thoroughly  boiled  with  vegetable  food  or  some  other 
meats. 


GENERAL 
mNTS 


Never  keep  more  than  50  or  60  Skunks  to  the  acre,  other- 
wise you  get  crowding,  ground-poisoning,  and  deadly  disease. 

The  soil  in  the  breeding  dens  should  be  turned  or  other- 
wise refreshed  every  few  weeks. 


Hudsonian  Skunk 


993 


CleanlincM  everywhere  all  the  time  is  etsential. 

Skunks,  if  helped,  will  keep  themselves  as  clean  as  cats, 
and  their  mutk  will  never  be  smelt  if  they  are  not  forced  to  use 
it  in  self-defence. 

A  diet  of  all  meat,  especially  raw  meat,  will  kill  every 
Skunk  on  the  farm. 

Overfeeding  of  any  kind  is  as  bad  as  underf«teding. 

There  is  great  individuality  of  temper,  as  well  as  of 
colour — always  select  the  black  ones  and  the  gentle  ones  to 
breed  from.  From  time  to  time  there  will  appear  fierce, 
quarrelsome  individuals;  these  should  be  removed  and  mar- 
keted as  soon  as  possible;  never  allow  them  to  breed. 

Castration  of  the  surplus  males  will  greatly  improve  the 
fur. 

The  wild  Skunk  pairs,  but  it  is  found  that  one  male  is 
enough  for  a  dozen  females  where  they  are  yarded  together. 

The  chief  causes  of  death  to  be  guarded  against  are: 
disease  from  dirt,  overcrowding,  wrong  food  or  overfeeding, 
infanticide  by  strangers  entering  the  den  during  the  mother's 
absence,  and  loss  through  great  homed  o'  Is.  The  last  are 
most  dangerous  to  the  young,  and  these  are,  of  course,  safe 
under  the  chicken-wire. 

The  young  run  from  4  to  9  in  a  litter.  At  six  months  these  profits 
may  sell  from  $1  to  53  per  pelt,  or,  say,  the  litter  bring  $10. 
Forty  breeding  females  is  the  most  one  may  safely  have  on  an 
acre,  so  that  under  the  most  favourable  circumstances  this 
would  bring  a  gross  return  of  1^400,  from  which  we  must  deduct 
cost  of  food,  fencing,  stock,  and  care,  leaving  a  very  small 
profit  indeed. 

Thus  it  appears  that  Skunk-farming  is  not  an  industry 
that  promises  a  very  large  return.  It  is  possibly  a  paying 
business  if  one  can  handle  a  stock  of  1,000  old  ones,  but  it 
seems  to  me  that  its  chief  use  is  to  train  fur-breeders  for  more 
serious  work  with  more  expensive  and  immensely  more  profit- 
able animals,  such  as  Marten,  Sable,  and  Silver-fox,  or  even 
Mink. 


m4 


994 


Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 


It  is  worthy  of  note  that  Skunk-farming  method*,  with 
cages  instead  of  pens,  if  applied  to  black  cats  of  the  domestic 
race,  are  quite  likely  to  prove  profitable;  not  only  are  the 
animals  easy  to  get  and  handle,  but  they  are  much  more  prolific, 
and  the  choice  skins,  if  black  and  prime,  fetch  as  much  as  an 
ordinary  Skunk  skin. 


; 


^—•'**ip  •'»*•' 


XLIV. 

Common  Badger  of  America. 

Tax  Idea  tax  us  (Schreber). 

(L.  Taxidia,  from  laxm,  •  Badger,  and  Gr.  tUct,  like;  Utinlicd  iiilo  a  nanc  apfilM 

bccauw  of  tne  creahue'i  retemblance  to  the  Old  World  badger  or  tanit.) 

Unut  taxus  ScHREBER,  1778.    Saugthiere,  III,  p.  520. 
Taxidea  taxus  Rhoads,   1894,  Am.  Nat.,  XXVIII,  June, 

P-  524. 

Type  Locality.— Usually  given  as  'Labrador'  but 
almost  surely  Saskatchewan  River. 

French  Canadian,  U  Blaireau   J'  Amtriqut;    I* 

Brain. 
Cree,  Ojib.,  &  Saut.,  Mit-ttrt'usk'. 
Yankton  Sioux,  Ho-cang. 
Ogallala  Sioux,  Ho-ka'  (=8haggyor  bristly). 

The  genus  Taxidea  (Storr,  1780)  r  imprises  large  animals 
of  the  Weasel  Family  (Mustelidae).  \  uey  have  thick,  heavy 
bodies,  very  short  tails,  short  legs,  front  feet  immensely  power- 
ful, with  long  claws  and  developed  for  digging;  ears,  very  short, 
and  the  following  teeth: 

Inc.  O;  can.  ;ii;prem.O;mol.  1=1-34 
To  these  generic  characters  the  Badger  adds: 

Length,  about  28  inches  (711  mm.);   tail,  5  inches  (127  sax 
mm.);   hind-foot,  3I  inches  (97  mm.). 

935 


tti 


if^1 


I''- '  ,1 


I! 


i; 


996         Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 

WEIGHT  The  following  Badgers  I  weighed  at  Clayton,  N.  M.,  in  1893 : 

Female,  taken  October  26,  was  loj  pounds. 

Female,  taken  November  2,  was  14  pounds  5  ounces. 

Female,  taken  December  28,  was  i6i  pounds  (excessively 
fat). 

Male,  taken  December  29,  was  14^  pounds. 

Bachman  gives'  23  pounds  as  the  weight  of  one  he  ex- 
amined in  the  Menagerie  at  Charleston,  S.  C. 

COLOUR  General  colour  above,  silvery  gray,  each  hair  being  yellow- 

ish-white at  base,  then  blackish  with  a  white  tip;  neck,  crown, 
and  muzzle  above,  brown;  cheeks,  chin,  and  stripe  from  nose 
over  head  to  shoulders,  white;  under  parts  generally  yellowish- 
white;  bar  on  each  cheek,  back  part  of  ear,  and  the  feet,  dull 
black;  tail,  tinged  yellowish-brown. 

When  seen  alive  it  looks  like  a  small  Bear  that  has  been 
flattened  somehow,  coloured  siivery  gray,  and  adorned  with 
black  and  white  marks  on  the  head. 

The  following  races  are  recognized: 

taxus  Schreber,  the  typical  form. 

neglecta  Mearns,  differs  in  being  smaller,  with  longer 
tail,  and  with  colours  deeper  and  richer  than  in 
either  the  preceding  or  following. 

herlandieri  Baird,  is  distinguished  by  having  the  white 
line  continued  along  the  back  in  some  cases  to 
the  tail,  also  by  a  general  buffiness  of  colour  (as 
compared  with  the  silvery  gray  of  taxus),  and 
heavier  markings. 

infusca  Thomas,  similar  to  herlandieri  but  darker. 

LirE-HISTORY. 

RANGE  The  map  (No.  53)  shows  the  range  of  the  Badger  in  the 

North-west  to  coincide  with  the  untimbered  regions  in  which 

» Aud.  &  Bach.,  Q.  N.  A.,  1849,  Vol.  I,  p.  363. 


MAP  53-RAlfGE  OF  THE  AMERICAN  BADGER,  AlfD  ITS  FOUR  RACES. 

TaxlJta  (luriij  (Schreber). 

n".'^:Z  ?75L°"i.!!l!  "O"'"  «"<'  -asl.  further  mv«t,>g»tion  will  changf  it  »om.what  on  the  w«t  and  ffSSly  in  S&lico 
.bout  LakriSwii.   ^^  '"""^'  *-"'  "  "  '"'"^  '^'^"'  "^■'>'  ^*"»"^''  i*'!-!-  •'"'  I-  •?<■"«..  no^TexttLuii^ta  moat  of  the  rt^ca 

997 


998         Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 


II:]-* 


I 


MANI- 
TOBA 


ENVIRON 
MENT 


HOME- 
RANGE 


the  larger  kinds  of  burrowing  rodents  are  found  in  numbers. 
In  the  dry  poplar  country,  that  is  varied  with  open  glades,  it  is 
occasionally  found  far  from  the  prairies.  MacFarlane  records 
a  specimen  from  Isle  a  la  Crosse,  in  1889,  and  2  from  Green 
Lake,  1889  and  1890  (Mam.  N.  W.  T.,  p.  715)-  (Spots  2  and  i 
on  map.) 

While  travelling  on  the  Athabaska,  in  1907, 1  was  shown 
by  the  pilot,  John  MacDonald,  a  range  of  hills  where  2  Badgers 
were  killed  by  Francois  Black,  one  in  1905,  the  other  in 
1906. 

The  exact  neighbourhood  was  Red  Willow  Lake,  18  miles 
south-east  of  Fort  MacMurray;  the  place  is  spotted  (3)  on  the 
map.  He  said  that  the  animal  was  previously  unknown  there, 
but  some  Plains  Indians,  who  happened  to  be  at  the  Post, 
knew  these  at  once  and  called  them  'Mittenusk.' 

The  spot  (4)  in  northern  Michigan  is  on  the  authority  of 
Charles  C.  Adams  (Ecological  Surv.,  N.  Mich.,  1906,  />.  130). 

In  Manitoba,  the  Badger  is  confined  to  the  dry  prairie 
regions.  It  is  very  rare  in  the  half-timbered  country,  and  un- 
known in  the  thick  woods  to  the  north-east. 

It  seems  indeed  to  be  exact  complement  of  the  Wood- 
chuck,  which,  on  account  of  these  facts,  is  known  to  the  Hud- 
son's Bay  Company  people  as  the  Thick-wood  Badger. 

Dry  rolling  prairies  of  light  or  gravelly  soil,  with  a  high 
populative  rate  of  Ground-squirrels,  are  the  Badger's  ideal 
surroundings. 

John  Atkinson,  the  Lake  Winnipeg  guide,  writes  me  that 
he  found  a  few  of  these  animals  in  the  drier  country  between 
Winnipeg  and  Whitemouth  River,  also  about  the  gravelly  hills 
east  of  Gonor. 

On  the  heavy  clay  prairies  of  the  L.wer  Red  River,  how- 
ever, it  is  scarce,  and,  of  course,  on  swarTipy  ianus  it  is  unknown. 

There  is  little  direct  evidence  :*t  nand  to  show  the  home- 
range  of  an  individual  Badger,  bui  obviously  it  must  be  very 


Badger 


999 


small.  As  a  matter  of  opinion,  I  should  say  that  a  Badger  may 
pass  his  whole  life  within  a  mile  or  two  miles  of  his  original 
home.  In  Texas,  Vernon  Bailey  found  that  one  Badger  had 
worked  all  summer  in  a  20-acre  Beld,  and  of  the  species  in 


Fig.  131— Rifhl  fon  and  hind-foot  of  Badpr. 

TakcB  iu  Culorado,  Sept.  j,  1901.    (Life  Bize.J 

general,  he  says'  that,  when  food  is  scarce,  they  become  great 
travellers,  "sinking  a  house  in  the  earth  wherever  sleeping- 
time  overtakes  them." 

In  early  days  there  was  at  least  one  Badger  for  every  abun- 
square  mile  of  high,  dry  prairie  in  Manitoba  and  perhaps  one-  ^^^ 
third  as  many  on  the  heavy  clay  prairies  of  the  Red  River 
Valley,  which  would  give  a  Badger  population  for  the  Province 

•N.  A.  Fauna,  No.  as,  pp.  184-5. 


mmimimii^^timmmmihtiltM 


M 


r 


■ 

S 


SOCIAL 
AMUSE- 
MENT 


1000        Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 

of  some  20,000.  To-day  their  numbers  are  "^"^^  j^^^duccd  b^^ 
trapping,  poison,  and  the  destruction  of  Ground-squirrels 
thdr'fo^d  supply,  as  well  as  by  the  disturbance  of  Ploughmg 
the  land,  for  the  Badger  is  a  shy  pra.ne  animal,  and  is  likely 
to  disappear  when  all  the  open  country  is  "nde^dn^^^^^^^^^ 
Professor  John  Macoun  tells  me  that  in  1906  Badgers  were 
yet  S  abundant  on  the  prairie  around  White  Shore  Lake  40 
miles  south  of  Battleford,  Sask.,  that  there  seemed  to  be  about 
10  inhabited  dens  per  square  mile. 

So  far  as  I  have  seen,  the  Badger  is  a  solitary  animal 
leading  a  somewhat  sordid  life,  minding  its  own  business,  but 
confining  that  business  to  the  least  elevating  of  pursuits.    The 
BrUish  Badger  has  the  reputation  of  being  remarkably  sociable 
and  frolicsome.    G.  E.  Blundell,  of  Bristol   tells  me  tham 
England  the  native  Badgers  have  a  sport  which  he  ha    often 
observed.    At  sundown  the  members  of  the  fami^  repair  by  a 
well-worn  pathway,  to  a  low  trunk  or  stump,  and  there  play 
r sort  of '  King  of  the  Castle'  game,  each  one  trying  to  climb 
up,  or  pull  the'others  down.    They  indulge  in  this  for  an  hour 
at  a  time.    It  has  no  connection  with  the  sex  feelmgs,  as  old 
and  young  take  part  as  soon  as  the  latter  are  strong  enough 
The  feet  of  there  being  a  fixed  place  and  apparatus    s  of 
special  interest,  and  ranks  this  amusement  with  the  sliding 
of  the  Otter.     But,  alas!    I  had  seen  nothing  of  such  an 
en^ging  habit  in  our  own  species,  fnd  regretted  that  though 
such  a  fine  animal,  it  was  to  be  placed  much  lower  on  the 
scale  of  development  than  its  congener,  and  was  glad  in- 
deed to  find   later  from   Paul   Fontaine^    teTd    often 
Badger'   that   on  bright    moonlight   nights   he    had    often 
watched  them  for  hours  gambolling  and  P^^Yjl^'J^l;^ 
Thus,  as  in  every  case,  the  more  we  learn  of  the  animal 
the  more  claim  it  has  on  our  sympathy  and  interest,     lo 
the  casual  glance  the  wild  animal  is  a  fierce,  el"«>ve  creature 
occupied  chiefly  with  eating  and  runmng  away.    It  is  only 
on  getting  gently  nearer  that  we  realize  the  other  half  of 

•  Great  Northwest,  1904,  p.  40- 


PLATE  LXXXIV. — BlVDGER  STUDIES  FROM  LIFE. 


1  '^ 


li 


Badger 


1001 


its  life,  the  side  which  shows  love  for  the  mate,  its  young, 
and  the  pleasant  society  of  its  own  kind. 

The  Badeer  has  many  sounds  that  it  uses  in  expression,  inter- 
Unfortunately,  only  those  used  in  battle  have  been  recorded,  nica- 
The  hiss,  the  grunt,  the  growl,  and  the  low  husky  snarling,  ""^ 
which  seems  to  show  that  the  snarler  is  a  little  afraid  of  the  one 
it  is  snarling  at.    As  recognition  marks,  or  signal  service  ap- 
paratus, the  black  and  white  face-spots  are  no  doubt  important, 
for  they  announce  its  species  to  all  the  wise  world  that  can  see; 
but  there  is  another  contrivance  highly  developed  in  the  species, 
that  is,  the  anal  group  of  glands.    Just  how  it  is  used  is  not 
known,  because  this  belongs  to  the  gentle  side  of  the  Badger's 
life,  and  all  our  observations  so  far  have  been  that  of  the  bitterly 
hostile. 


Little  is  known  of  the  mating  habits  in  this  species.     I  uatino 
am  inclined  to  believe  that,  like  all  the  higher  mammals,  it  is 
monogamous,  and  that,  as  in  the  highest,  the  male,  sometimes 
at  least,  stays  with  the  female  all  summer  and  i  elps  to  protect 
and  feed  the  young. 

All  the  evidence  I  have  been  able  to  gather  is  given  here. 
Professor  John  Macoun  tells  me  that  in  Saskatchewan,  where 
Badgers  still  abound  (1906),  he  commonly  saw  2  adults  at 
each  den  door  during  the  first  week  of  August,  but  never  3. 
In  each  case  the  bigger  one,  presumably  the  male,  remained 
sitting  head  out  of  the  hole,  with  its  bristles  up,  and  uttering  a 
sound  of  menace.    He  saw  no  young. 

The  following  incident  also  goes  to  show  that  the  species 
pairs  and  the  male  continues  with  the  female  all  summer.  It 
was  related  to  me  by  Russell  Brown,  of  Sunnyside,  Wash. 
While  haying  late  in  June,  1902,  his  dog  was  attacked  by  two 
full-grown  Badgers.  He  went  to  the  rescue  with  a  fork.  On 
killing  the  assailants,  they  were  found  to  be  male  and  female, 
but  he  saw  nothing  of  any  young. 

R.  W.  Cowan,  ranchman,  tells  me  that  near  Calgary, 
Alta.,  during  the  month  of  September,  he  More  than  once  has 


iih^ 


mtmi 


[f  I 


l-«  ■ 


f 


1002        Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 

seen  2  adult  Badgers  trotting  along  the  trail  together.    At  such 
times  they  are  more  ready  to  fight  than  to  turn  aside. 

All  of  these  observations  point  to  an  all-season  association 

of  the  pair,  e   i.     t>  :•  u 

Collateral  support  is  found  in  the  ways  of  the  British 
Badger,  which  is  known  to  be  a  model  husband  and  father. 
Although  it  is  dangerous  to  rely  on  such  oblique  light,  for  the 
British  Badger  is  not  now  even  in  the  same  genus  with  this,  1 
cannot  refrain  from  giving  Sir  Alfred  E.  Pease's  remarks  on 
the  nesting  of  that  amiable  species.     (Monog.  Badger.) 

"He  is  fond  of  company;  he  is  monogamous,  and  clings 
closely  and  faithfully  to  his  own  wife.  With  Badgers,  as  with 
the  human  race,  the  sexes  are  not  precisely  equal  in  numbers, 
and  often,  from  the  force  of  circumstances,  a  Badger  has  to 
ren  ain  a  celibate,  but  he  is  not  a  bachelor  by  choice.  He  may 
become  a  widower,  but  in  either  case  he  will  travel  far  to  swk 
a  partner  to  share  his  shelter  and  his  lot.  It  is  not  altogether 
rare  to  find  an  old  solitary  dog  Badger,  who  has  loved  and  lost, 
or  taken  in  late  age  to  a  hermit's  cell;  but  he,  as  often  as  not, 
when  he  failed  to  secure  the  companionship  of  the  gentler  sex, 
has  found  some  other  male  to  share  his  home,  when  they  live 

comfortably  en  garcon.  r  u  •    1  •  ,1 

"Nor  do  the  married  pair  shun  the  society  of  their  kind. 
I  have  often  seen  large  Badger  "  sets'  almost  as  full  of  Badgers 
as  a  warren  is  of  Rabbits.  One  evening,  near  my  house,  1 
waited  an  hour  of  midge-plagued  time  to  watch  the  Badgers 
come  out  from  a  small '  set,'  and  was  rewarded  by  seeing  a  pro- 
cession of  7  full-grown  Badgers  emerge  from  a  single  hole,  and  1 
had  them  all  in  full  view  for  something  like  twenty  minutes. 
As  this  was  in  July,  they  could  hardly  be  one  family. 

It  is  an  open  question  whether  the  hibernating  Badger 
mates  in  spring  like  the  hibernating  Ground-squirrels,  or  m 
the  fall  like  the  hibernating  Bear.  Paul  Fontaine  states*  posi- 
tively that  "they  pair  in  autumn,  before  they  hibernate. 
This  we  know  to  be  the  case  with  the  British  Badger,  so  that  the 
evidence  is  strong,  though  not  conclusive. 


Badger 


loos 


The  gestation  of  the  species  is  unknown;  cannot  be  guessed  obsta- 
at  until  we  know  the  exact  time  of  mating.  ^°^ 

The  residential  burrows  of  the  males  and  ^mmated  young  dens 
have  not  been  investigated.     It  is  probable  that  each  Badger 
makes  a  burrow  every  twenty-four  hours  during  the  summer 
while  in  search  of  food.    As  there  is  no  certain  way  of  distin- 
guishing these  prospect  shafts  from  actual  residences,  the  labour 


Fro.  i)>— Badfcr  hole,  6  iset  decpk 
Cubvfry,  Maas.,  July  aS'iM* 


of  digging  out  all,  in  order  to  run  the  facts  to  earth,  has  hitherto 
proven  too  serious  for  the  investigators.  It  is  not  by  any  means 
certain  that  the  '  foot-loose '  Badger  does  stick  to  any  one  den 
in  his  home-range. 

But  the  female  has  a  different  way  of  life.  Early  in  the 
spring,  accompanied,  we  believe,  by  her  mate,  she  prepares  a 
complete  nest  of  grass  in  a  well-drained  hole,  two  or  three  feet 
below  the  surface,  and  here,  in  late  May  or  perhaps  early  June, 
are  born  the  young.  They  number  2  to  j;  3  is  probably  the 
usual  number. 

I  cannot  learn  that  any  one  ever  saw  a  Badger  travelling  yocno 
and  accompanied  by  its  young.  Apparendy  they  remain  in  the 
home  den  until  big  enough  to  dig  for  themselves,  which  may 
mean  till  a  year  old.  Senator  J.  N.  Kirchhoffer,  of  Brandon, 
tells  me  that  on  the  Souris  he  once  saw  an  old  one  and  2  young 
ones  together  at  the  den  about  the  end  of  September. 

This  creature  has  bartered  its  speed  for  strength  to  dig.  speed, 
A  man  can  easily  overtake  it  if  by  rare  chance  it  is  surprised  ^^' 
from  its  home,  but  that  does  not  mean  that  it  is  caught,  for  in 


1004        Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 


HABITS 


\ 


I  i      -' 


loose  soil  it  can  dig  so  fast  as  to  escape  into  the  ground  before 
the  foe  can  come  near.  It  is  supposed  to  be  at  home  nowhere 
but  underground,  and  I  never  expected  to  see  one  go  aloft,  so 
was  much  surprised  one  day  to  see  a  caged  specimen  climb 
readily  to  the  roof  of  its  cage  by  hooking  its  claws  in  the  wire 
netting;  and  another  in  the  Winnipeg  Zoo  that  easily  and  often 
climbed  a  low  branching  tree  in  its  enclosure. 

The  Badger  is  a  winter-sleeper.  A  'seven-sleeper,*  the 
country  folk  say.  It  generally  appears  above  ground  as  soon 
as  the  snow  is  ,^one. 

In  the  early  days  of  Manitoba,  before  the  fence  and  the 
plough  had  come,  the  traveller  saw,  hourly,  on  the  sunny 
mornings,  a  whitish  bump  on  a  raised  mound  of  earth  not  far 
from  the  trail.  As  he  approached  it,  the  white  bump  might 
develop  a  sharp  and  movable  point  at  one  end,  the  point 
would  sway  in  the  wind,  then  the  vyhite  thing  disappear  into 
the  earth,  showing  that  the  bump  was  simply  a  Badger  taking 
his  morning  sun-bath.  On  the  Souris  Plains  Badgers  were 
thus  seen  a  dozen  times  a  day. 

They  rarely  go  far  from  their  holes,  and  when  they  do, 
they  are  much  alarmed  by  discovery,  and  go  shuffling  about  to 
each  promising  place  in  search  of  a  road  to  the  friendly  shelter 
of  mother  earth. 

I  overtook  one  once  on  the  open  plains  in  Arizona.  He 
skurrieJ  about  but  could  find  no  hole,  so  faced  about,  and  as 
he  made  short  leaps  towards  my  companion  I  caught  him  by 
the  only  safe  handle,  his  rough,  strong  tail.  But  possession 
seemed  to  satisfy  the  hunter's  instinct,  and  once  we  had 
conquered  him  we  freed  him  and  left  him  in  peace. 

On  another  occasion,  in  June,  1897,  on  the  Upper  Yellow- 
stone, I  met  a  Badger  waddling  over  the  prairie.  I  had  a 
camera  with  me  and,  meaning  to  get  a  picture,  ran  after  him. 
To  my  great  surprise,  he  came  rushing  towards  me  uttering  a 
loud  snarling.  Fully  believing  in  my  ability  to  avoid  his 
attack,  if  indeed  he  really  meant  to  make  one,  I  continued  to 


!^ 


■to 


Badger 


1005 


run,  when,  just  as  we  were  within  thirty  feet  of  each  other, 
h^^  ^•*ll  tail-first  into  a  shallow  badger-hole  that  he  had  not  seen, 
a  .  J  i  fell  head-first  into  another  I  had  not  sf'en.  We  both  were 
greatly  surprised,  quite  shocked  indeed,  but  he  recovered  first. 
He  scrambled  out  of  his  pitfall,  ran  ten  feet  nearer  to  me, 
then  dived  down  his  home-hole,  towards  which  he  had  been 
making  from  the  first. 

Those  who  know  the  Badger  of  Europe  have  little  idea  of 
the  life  of  the  prairie  species.  The  former  seems  to  live  much 
like  a  Skunk,  trotting  about  at  night,  above  ground,  seeking  its 
food  in  the  woods  and  thickets,  retiring  to  an  underground 
home  to  rest  during  the  hours  of  daylight.  But  the  prairie 
Badger  spends  the  greater  part  of  its  life  underground,  where 
it  digs,  feeds,  sleeps,  and  multiplies  much  like  a  Mole.  It 
rarely  comes  out  during  the  day,  except  to  bask  in  the  sun  by 
its  doorway,  and  then  is  ready  to  plunge  below  at  the  slight- 
est alarm. 

Deep  underground,  this  animal  is  safe  from  violence.  It 
is  hopeless  to  dig  it  out,  for  it  can  burrow  like  a  Mole;  it 
succumbs  to  nothing  but  a  few  barrels  of  water  sent  suddenly 
after  it.  This  shuts  off  our  diver's  wind,  and  forces  it  to  the 
surface  to  breathe  and  meet  its  adversaries.  On  one  occasion 
I  ran  after  a  Badger  on  the  prairie,  ;»r"d  just  as  I  neared  him  he 
plunged  into  a  hole  that  was  but  three  feet  deep.  I  seized  his 
tail  as  he  was  digging  it  deeper  and  tried  to  haul  him  out,  but 
he  braced  himself  with  both  fore-feet  and  defied  my  best  efforts. 

Water  was  at  hand,  but  a  couple  of  bucketfuls  thrown  in 
merely  caused  him  to  swell  out  his  body  till  it  plugged  the  hole, 
and  no  water  whatever  passed  him  to  get  near  his  head.  A 
spade  handle,  however,  pushed  between  him  and  the  wall  let 
the  flood  down  with  a  sudden  'gulch,'  and  the  Badger  was 
forced  to  turn  about  and  wags  unequal  fight. 

The  Old  World  Badger  has  long  been  famous  as  a  fighter,  «  a 
and  the  prairie  species  seems  no  whit  behind  its  cousin.     It  is  """ 
so  strong  that  a  man  cannot  pull  it  out  of  its  hole  if  once  it  gets 
fairly  braced.     It  is  so  protected  by  its  thici:,  loose-fitting  hide 


FIGHTER 


riiiM 


1000        Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 


that  a  bull-dog  may  be  holding  it  by  the  scruff  of  the  neck 
without  in  the  least  shutting  off  the  Badger's  wind  or  preventing 
its  operating  with  teeth  and  energy  on  any  or  all  four  quarters  of 
its  preoccupied  assailant.  Its  jaws  are  so  strong  that  it  usually 
leaves  a  gash  at  each  bite,  and  its  courage  such  that  it  never 
surrenders,  no  matter  how  numerous  or  strong  its  assailants; 
it  dies  fighting  to  the  last.  A  fifteen-pounder  would  be  a  large 
one,  and  any  dog  twice  the  weight  would  surely  be  worsted  by 
the  Badger. 

In  my  journal  for  1892  I  find  this  note:  July  27.  This 
morning  at  Carberry  a  Kidger  was  pitted  against  four  large 
dogs  on  the  open  prairie,  and  he  beat  them  all  off,  escaping 
almost  unhurt.  The  Badger  was  aggressive  as  soon  as  a  dog 
came  near  him.  He  continually  uttered  a  sort  of  hissing, 
also  grunted  like  a  pig.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  it  was  a  blood- 
less battle  consisting  of  little  but  noise.  The  dogs  seemed 
afraid  to  close  in.  When  taken  back  to  the  stable  the  Badger 
drank  a  large  quantity  of  water.  Where  does  he  get  it  when 
home? 


SLEEP 


As  late  as  November  4,  1884,  I  found  a  Badger  active 
above  ground.  The  fresh  snow  was  plentifully  marked  with 
its  tracks,  showing  where  it  had  gone  about  sniffing  at  all  man- 
ner of  Ground-squirrels'  holes,  seeking  those  that  gave  token 
of  inmates  sleeping  below.  In  New  Mexico,  this  animal  is 
active  all  the  year  round;  but  in  Manitoba,  as  soon  as  the 
ground  freezes,  it  goes  below  and  sleeps  through  the  winter 
without  any  store  of  food  other  than  its  fat,  until,  "'n  April,  it  is 
agaii:  arousr-l  to  life. 


FOOD 


The  species  is  carnivorous,  strictly  so,  as  much  so  as  any 
animal  is  ever  strictly  anything.  The  bulk  of  its  food  is,  no 
doubt,  Mice  and  Ground-squirrels.  I  have  often  seen  places 
where  a  Badger  had  ripped  open  the  long  surface  burrow  of 
the  Striped  Ground-squirrel  or  had  sunk  twenty  or  thirty 
prospect  holes  at  intervals  to  strike  the  deeper  burrow,  and  I 
have  no  doubt  that  its  labours  were  rewarded  with  a  meal. 


Badger 


1007 


SHIPS 


In  the  November  of  1884,  at  noted  above,  I  followed  a 
Badger's  tracks  in  the  fresh  snow  to  learn  that  the  night  before 
he  had  sunk  a  number  of  burrows  to  the  depth  of  hve  or  six 
feet.  In  each  case  he  had  reached  the  winter  den  of  a  Richard- 
son Ground-squirrel  and  doubtless  had  devoured  the  sleeper, 
for  its  nest  lining  and  its  grain  stores  were  scattered  about. 

Alexander  Henry  gives  the  following  curious  note  in  hi.« 
Journal  on  Red  River,  1799,  p.  158:  (Coues.  ed.  1897). 

"This  afternoon  I  saw  an  extraordinary  race — a.  Badger 
in  pursuit  of  a  Skunk.  I  wished  to  see  what  would  be  the  conse- 
quence, but  one  of  my  men  killed  both  with  a  club  before  I 
thought  of  preventing  him." 

Many  of  our  quadrupeds  are  known  to  form  curious,  ap-  rumm. 
parently  platonic,  friendships  with  totally  different  creatures.  ""  ~ 
The  British  Badger  has  frequently  been  found  living  in  good- 
fellowship  with  a  Fox,  and,  on  several  occasions,  our  own 
comfortable  species  has  been  accredited  with  a  similar  partner- 
ship, which  shows  that  he  is  much  the  same  all-round  good 
fellow  as  his  British  cousin  twice  removed.  The  first  cases 
were  friendships  with  Coyotes  and  were  recorded  by  A.  H. 
Hawkins,  the  surveyor. 

"During  the  progress  of  my  survey,"  he  says,*  "in  south- 
ern Alberta  I  noticed  on  two  occasions  a  Badger  and  a  Coyote 
travelling  in  company.  The  same  thing  was  observed  and 
reported  by  the  men  who  did  my  mounding  on  three  different 
occasions,  all  of  which  were  in  different  localities. 

"The  men  reported  having  seen  the  animals  travelling  in 
company  in  Township  i.  Range  13,  West  of  4th  Principal 
Meridian.  The  first  time  that  I  saw  th^m  together  was  in 
Tp.  6,  R.  17,  and  the  second  time  in  Tp.  7,  R.  17,  W.  4th. 
This  last  time  I  had  the  best  view.  Seated  one  day  eating  our 
nocn  lunch,  I  noticed  two  animals  coming  towards  us  and  drew 
the  attention  of  my  men  to  the  fact.  We  remained  perfectly 
quiet,  so  that  they  came  within  20  to  30  feet  of  us  before  seeing 
that  we  were  so  near.    The  Coyote  travelled  ahead,  and  the 

•  Ottawa  Nat,  May,  1907,  p.  37. 


I 


\ 


|1  :i 


I 


\ 


1008        Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 

Badger  followed  along  as  fast  as  he  could,  right  at  the  heels 
of  the  Coyote. 

'*  I  could  see  no  reason  nor  could  I  explain  it  in  any  way 
satisfactory  to  myself,  and,  although  I  asked  several  people  in 
the  West  about  it,  the  occurrence  is  still  a  mystery  to  me." 

Some  similar  cases  have  been  reported  to  me  by  G.  A. 
Rimington,  of  Penrith,  Eng.  Several  times,  near  Calgary, 
in  1907,  he  saw  a  Badger  and  a  Coyote  associated  and  travelling 
together.  In  these  cases  it  seemed  to  be  a  partnership  affair, 
which  was  probably  involuntary  on  the  part  of  the  Badger. 
No  doubt  the  Coyote  knew  very  well  that  the  Badger  would 
dig  out  Ground-squirrels,  some  of  which  would  bolt  and  thus 
give  the  Coyote  a  chance  to  share  in  the  spoils. 

In  exactly  the  same  way  the  Badger  is  followed  by  hawks, 
etc.,  in  California,  as  graphically  described  by  Mary  Austin  in 
"The  Land  of  Little  Rain.'" 

But  the  most  remarkable  case  of  all  is  a  friendship  between 
a  Manitoba  Badger  and  a  lost  boy.  This  was  related  to  me  by 
George  Fraser,  a  native  of  Manitoba,  and  corroborated  by  his 
mother,  Mrs.  Fraser,  of  Kildonan,  and  Archbishop  Matheson. 

In  iS;!,  a  little  seven-year-old  boy,  named  Harry  Service, 
wandering  from  his  father's  house  at  Bird's  Hill,  near  Winnipeg, 
was  lost  for  two  weeks.  When  found,  he  was  living  in  a  den 
with  a  Badger.  His  clothes  were  torn  so  that  he  was  nearly 
naked,  and  his  face  was  all  scratched.  He  told  his  parents  that 
he  had  taken  shelter  in  the  hole  during  a  rain-storm,  and  that  the 
Badger  came  later  and  scratched  his  face.  At  first  they  fought, 
but  the  child  was  plucky  and  would  not  give  up  the  hole. 
Later  the  Badger  brought  some  food  and,  after  another  quarrel, 
allowed  the  child  to  eat  some  of  it.  In  the  days  that  followed 
the  Badger  brought  him  food  several  times.  The  beast  always 
entered  the  den  by  one  of  the  entrances  not  used  by  the  child. 

When  found  they  were  on  terms  of  friendship,  and  the 
child  cried  bitterly  when  taken  from  his  savage  friend.  The 
boy's  story,  however,  was  not  clear.    He  said  at  one  time  that 

•  1904,  p.  isa. 


lii 


l\: 


\ 


II 


a 


f 


'  > 


'4 ' 


P1.ATF   I  XXXV. — SCATOI.OT.Y  OF  CERTAIN'  MUSTFI.IDAK  (ALL  NATURAL  SIZE). 
0.  Wolverine.  October.  loo*^. 
r.  St^['l>rto'licT'''!!^i)o,  vliKu)  .,;.-.aills  oj  grasshoppers  and  wasps,  Iml  in  this  case  also  the  tail  feathers  of  a  small  bird    Cos 

Cob,  (",  tnr 
d.  Fisher,  Ar-1.  i8   1005. 


iiiBBi 


■■WMiii 


Badger 


1009 


MAN 


he  lived  on  mud.  His  face,  mouth,  and  tongue  were  black  with 
mi'  1  and  much  swollen.  Nevertheless,  his  description  of  the 
Badger  was  beyond  question.  He  even  said  it  had  five  toes 
on  one  foot  and  four  on  the  other. 

The  B->dger  must  be  considered  a  valuable  animal,  as  use  to 
surely  as  we  reckon  the  Gophers  a  nuisance.  The  only  sin  "'" 
I  ever  heard  charged  against  it  is  that  the  holes  it  makes 
endanger  the  limbs  of  stock  and  the  lives  of  horsemen  on  the 
plains.  But  this  objection  scarcely  exists  in  Manitoba  to- 
day, since  we  no  longer  have  vast  open  plains.  The  work  of 
the  Badger  is  now  confined  largely  to  the  strips  of  prairie  that 
exist  along  the  roi  !  allowances,  where  it  can  do  but  little 
harm. 


The  pelt  is  prime  about  October  i.     It  is  of  beautiful  fur 
silvery  gray  and  the  hide  strong  and  durable,  so  it  is  much  in 
use  for  chair  rugs.    In  price  it  ranges  from  75  cents  to  $1.50. 

During  the  sixty-four  years,  1842  to  1905  inclusive,  the 
Hudson's  Bay  Company  collected  81,837  skins  of  this  species, 
an  average  of  i  ,278  for  each  year.  The  lowest  was  289  in  1 904 
(none  u  all  prior  to  1842);  the  highest,  4,000,  in  1891.  The 
average  for  the  ten  years,  1895  to  1905,  was  2,445. 

Poland's  work  (p.  131)  appears  to  show  that  double  as 
many  are  taken  by  the  other  American  companies,  so  that  the 
catch  of  Badgers  for  fur  may  be  about  7,000. 

At  the  London  annual  fur  sale  held  at  Lampson's,  March, 
»9o6,  5,955  Badger  skins  were  sold.  The  highest  price  reached 
was  19  shillings  ($4.56)  each  for  27  unusually  fine  first-class 
skms.  More  usual  prices  were  5  shillings  ($  i .  20)  to  i  o  shillings 
(i;2.40)  for  first-class  skins.  Inferior  skins  sold  for  a  shilling 
(24  cents),  or  even  less. 


XLV. 
Raccoon  or  Coon. 

Procyon  lotor  (Linn.)- 
(Gr.  Procym,  from  fro,  before;  cyan,  a  dog-the  name  of  a  sUr  group  tl«t  rfae.  just 
before  the  Dog-star.    The  name  was  given  to  this  genus  by  Storr  m  1780,  probably 
without  special  reason.    L.  lotor.  a  washer,  on  account  of  its  habit  of  washmg 
its  food.) 

Ursus  lotor  LiNNAErs,  1 758,  Syst.  Nat.,  X  ed.,  I,  p.  48- 
Procyon  lotor  Desmarest,  1819,  Diet.  d'Hist.  Nat.,    XXIX, 

p.  91. 

Type  Locality.— Eastern  United  States. 

French  Canadian,  le  Raton. 
Cree  &  Saut.,  Es'-see-ban. 
OjiB.,  Es'-see-pan. 
Yankton  Sioux,  Way-atch-a. 
Ogallala  Sioux,  We/-cha. 

•Coon'  is  abbreviated  from  'Raccoon'  or  'Racoon,'  which 
is  the  Englished  form  of 'Arocoun,' the  Indian  name  of  the 
creature  in  Virginia.  , 

The  Raccoon  Family  or  Procyonida  comprise  middle- 
sized  animals,  kin  of  the  Bears,  having  on  each  foot  5  well- 
developed  toes  with  fixed  claws,  the  soles  naked,  the  hind-feet 
plantigrade;  they  have  pointed  nose  and  ears;  tail,  rather  long 
and  bushy,  usually  ringed. 

The  genus  Procyon  (Storr,  1780)  has  the  above  char- 
acters and  has  the  teeth: 


: !  i 


7-7  i-i  4.-4        1  *~2 

Inc.^;  can. — ;  prem.  5-1;  mol.  — -40 

3-3  ^"^  +"+ 

1010 


Raccoon 


1011 


.^^ 


Fic.  233— Maatology  of  the  Cooo  9. 

Sprini^eld.  Out.,  Juue  »5,  iHSa. 


In  addition  to  the  Family  and  generic  characters  unmis-  size 
takable  specific  peculiarities. 

An  adult  male  killed  at  Springfield,  near  Toronto,  Ont., 
June  25,  i888,  was  32^  inches  (826  mm.)  from  tip  of  nose  to  tip 
of  tail-bone.  The  head  and  body  from  nose  to  ischium  were 
23i  inches  (604  mm.);  the  tail-bone,  lof  inches  (263  mm.); 
from  tip  of  front  toe  to  tip  of  outstretched  hind  toe,  371  inches 
(950  mm.).  This  was  a 
very  fine  and  fat  individual.  ^ 

Hind-foot  of  another  speci-  /"^X-— ^><'' 

men  was  4J  inches  (108  -*>  -  -  "^  :*,, 
mm.).  A  female  caught  at 
the  same  place,  fifteen  days 
earlier,  was  31 J  inches  (801 
mm.)  from  tip  of  nose  to 
tip  of  tail-bone;  the  head 
and  body  from  nose  to 
ischium  were  21  \\  inches  (552  mm.);  the  tail-bone,  n 
mches  (280  mm.).  She  was  still  in  milk;  her  6  teats  were  as 
shown  in  Fig.  233. 

The  above  male  weighed  18  pounds;  the  female  barely  10.  weight 
1  consider  the  male  about  average  size  and  the  female  small 
Audubon  and  Bachman  give>  22  pounds  as  the  ascertained 
weight  of  a  good  size  male. 

In  general  the  Coon  is  of  a  dull  brownish-gray,  becoming  colour 
yellower  on  the  back,  strongly  yellow  on  nape  and  on  tail,  and 
a  paler  gray  on  the  belly  and  feet;  on  all  the  upper  parts,  es- 
pecially along  the  spine,  the  long  hairs  are  black  tipped,  and  on 
the  under  parts  they  are  white  tipped.  On  the  cheek  is  a  black 
patch  that  includes  the  eye,  and  joins  with  the  narrow  blackish 
stripe  that  runs  from  the  nose  to  the  dark  colour  on  the  fore- 
head.  Around  this  the  face  is  dull  white,  whitest  in  a  band 
above  each  eye;  the  lower  back  part  of  the  ear  is  black,  which 
joins  with  a  black  patch  on  the  neck  behind  the  ear-the  tip  of 

•Q.N.  A.,  1849,  Vol.  n,  p.  76. 


■■ 


'•i 


RANGE 


IN  MANI- 
TOBA 


1012        Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 

the  ear  behind  is  whitish.  The  tail,  beginning  with  the  tip,  has 
6  to  7  rings  of  very  dark  brown  or  black  on  a  pale  yellowish 
background.  The  under-fur  is  dark  brownish-gray  and  shows 
much  on  the  under  parts;  the  throat  also  is  dark  brownish-gray; 
the  eyes  are  dark;  the  whiskers  white.     The  sexes  are  alike. 

Where  seen  alive,  the  Raccoon  is  readily  distinguished  by 
its  size  and  its  bushy  tail  with  black  rings. 

The  following  races  are  recognized: 

lotor  Linnaeus,  the  typical  form. 
elucus  Bangs,  a  darker,  shorter-haired,  long-tailed  race. 
mexicanus  Baird,  a  large,  pale  gray  race,  with  long  tail. 
hernandezi  Wagler,  a  very  large  dark  form,  with  very 

narrow  rings  on  tail. 
pallidus  Merriam,  a  medium-sized  pale  gray  form, 

without  any  yellow  suffusion. 
insularis  Merriam,  small  and  pale. 

Life-history. 

Map  54  sets  forth  the  range  of  this  wide  ranger.  In  the 
east  and  north-east  it  is  fairly  well  ascertained,  but  must  be 
greatly  modified  by  further  investigation  in  the  south-west, 
west,  and  south. 

In  primitive  days  the  Raccoon  was  quite  abundant  along 
the  Upper  Red  River,  as  is  attested  by  the  Journal  of  A.  Henry, 
the  fur-trader,  who,  about  loo  years  ago,  wrote  at  Park  River 
House,  on  Red  River,  35  miles  south  of  the  Boundary.  Here 
he  collected  annually  100  to  200  skins.  Since  then  this  animal's 
numbers  have  increased  and  decreased  several  times;  they  are 
now  at  a  low  ebb.  It  is  still  found  in  south-western  Manitoba, 
but  is  exceedingly  rare,  although,  according  to  Herrick,'  it 
ranges  over  the  entire  wooded  parts  of  Minnesota. 

'Mam.  Minn.,  189a,  p.  •■'9. 


iiillliil 


MAP  54-RAllGE  OF  THE  RACCOONS  FOUND  IN  NORTH  AMERICA. 


inodifi«i  bVfuiure'iS  '"'• '"  """  ■"'  "*'"'"''  """»•  *»"  ""  »"  "ho  K"cky  Moanuto."Padfic  Coul.  .nd  Mciiam  rtgiau,  must  be 

Four  tpwiM  of  lUccoon  •rencotnind: 

Pncyon  lotor  (LinnMia),  with  ill  6  ricM.  o-  „,. 

«*_- li—^j^  ^^'  ^^  J  ,«••,  ^^  n??'^  "MBiimJil  S^n^i 

lOU 


Pfocoon  Mora  On  j. 


rroq^n  motmOMf  IMIICI, 

/nmvwi  Mf  mouu  Merriun. 


M^iaMilltfttlliiiB 


ittbiM&iMiitidiiai. 


:i 


!' 


•J 


i 


1014        Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 

D.  Nicholson,  of  Morden,  tells  me  that  in  twenty-five  years* 
residence  he  has  s^en  but  2  Coon  skins  taken  in  Manitoba; 
both  were  from  Pembina  Valley. 

According  to  the  Boissevain  Recorder,  2  Coon  skins 
were  brought  into  Wooton's  store  in  Manitou  from  Pembina 


Fig.  334 — Paws  uf  Coon,  left  hind  and  left  fore.    (Life  sixe.) 


Valley  on  March  13,  1902.  C.  C.  Helliwell  saw  one  that  was 
killed  on  the  Souris  River  some  years  ago  and  heard  of  several 
others. 

Apparently  they  are  increasing  again  in  that  region,  as  J.  S. 
Charleson  writes  me  that  in  the  spring  of  1907,  3  Coons  were 
found  in  a  hen-house  near  Blyth,  13  miles  south-east  of  Bran- 
don. One  was  killed  and  mounted  for  Rex  McPhee;  another, 
he  says,  was  caught  in  the  previous  winter  on  the  Assiniboine, 


It 


Raccoon 


1015 


10  miles  above  Truesbank,  and  a  number  of  Coon  signs  were 
reported  along  the  river  banks  near  Blyth. 

W.  R.  Hine  mounted  one  taken  near  Winnipeg—it  is  now  in 
possession  of  Sheriff  Inkester-and  William  G.  Tweddell  tells 
me  that  he  knew  of  one  being  killed  in  the  country  north  of 
Shoal  Lake. 

I  saw  a  very  large  and  dark  specimen  that  was  taken  on 
the  Upper  Assmiboine,  near  Fort  Ellice,  about  1884. 

!n  September,  1904,  J.  J.  G.  Rosscr,  of  Hudson's  Bay 
Company,  at  Wmnipegosis  showed  me  a  coon-skin  taken  on 
Waterhen  River  at  the  second  rapids  by  an  Indian.  Francis 
Katchaway,  October,  1903.  The  trapper  did  not  know  what 
he  had  caught-said  it  looked  like  a  cat.  None  of  his  people 
had  seen  one  before.  This  is  the  only  one  ever  taken  near  this 
post,  and  is  the  northernmost  record  for  the  Province.  Rosser 
heard  of  another  that  was  killed  at  Valley  River  (Dauphin 
Lake)  quite  recently. 

Angus  Brabant,  Inspector  for  Hudson's  Bay  Company 
and  former  Chief  Factor,  saw  a  Raccoon  taken  at  Pine  Creek 
60  miles  north  of  Dauphin,  Man.,  Lake  Winnipegosis,  1890.' 

"William  McKirdy,  of  Nipigon,  told  me  that  a  few  years  other 
ago  a  Kaccoon  was  killed  by  some  Indians  near  Lake  Nipigon  ^''""'^ 
and  brought  to  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company's  post.     Neither 
Indians  nor  traders  ever  had  seen  the  animal  in  the  region 
before  and  to  most  of  the  former  it  was  entirely  unknown.'" 

(M  tiler.  J 

..r^  ^^^[^^  ^-  <^"«^''"sey  writes  me  from  Fort  Qu*  Appelle: 

December  14,  i9o6.-Within  the  last  20  years  I  have  known 

ot  2  Raccoon  being  taken  some  50  miles  north  of  here,  in 

rouchwood  Hills,  which  are  heavily  timbered  with  poplar  and 

1!  jj"^  *^^^  ^'^  ^°  '■^'■'^  ^^^^  ^^"^  In^'an  who  took  one  of 
them  did  not  know  what  it  was;  there  are  none  in  the  Qu' 
Appelle  Valley— not  enough  timber,  for  one  thing." 

A  newspaper  clipping  recently  directed  my  attention  to  a 
still  farther  record.    On  writing  to  the  person  interested,  W.  H. 

•Mam.  Ont,  Proc.  Bost.  Soc.  Nat.  Hist.,  April,  1897,  p.  41. 


i(  ■ 


1016        Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 

Jaeger,  of  Edmonton,  Aha.,  I  was  courteously  furnished  with 
particulars:  A  Raccoon,  the  hrst  ever  heard  of  in  the  district, 
was  taken  by  an  Indian  about  1903,  on  Red  Deer  River,  at  a 
point  some  75  miles  south  of  Edmonton. 

Another,  also  captured  by  an  Indian,  was  secured  at  a 
place  40  miles  south  of  Edmonton,  in  February,  1905.  The 
skins  were  brought  in  for  sale  to  Thomas  Hourston's  store  at 
Edmonton. 

C.  C.  Chipman,  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company  Commissioner 
at  Winnipeg,  writes  me  on  December  3,  1906:  "There  was  1 
Raccoon  killed  in  the  Peace  River  Country  about  fifteen  years 
ago  and  they  did  not  know  what  it  was.  I  never  heard  of  any 
having  been  killed  at  Lake  Winnipeg  or  Lake  Manitoba." 

William  Mclnnes,  of  the  Geological  Survey  of  Canada, 
examined  the  skin  of  one  killed  at  Attawapiskat  Lake  (Lat.  52" 
20',  Long.  87°  W.)  in  the  winter  of  1893. 

These  various  records  are  spotted  on  the  map.  When 
extra-limital  occurrences  multiply,  it  is  usually  proof  that  the 
species  is  extendi^     '*s  range. 


LI 


INDIVID- 
UAL 
RANGE 


We  have  little  light  on  the  individual  range,  but  it  seems 
much  wider  than  might  be  expected  from  such  a  slow-footed 
creature.  Bailey  speaks*  of  Coons  in  Texas  going  regularly 
half-a-mile  to  a  mile  from  their  dens  to  their  hunting  grounds, 
and,  of  course,  back  before  dawn.  Bachman  tells*  of  following 
a  pair  through  the  snow,  and  they  made  a  journey  of  about  a 
mile,  ending  where  they  began.  W.  S.  Williams,  of  Panther 
Creek,  N.  C,  informs  me  that  a  pet  Coon  he  had,  escaped,  and 
within  a  couple  of  days  was  killed  while  raiding  a  hen-roost 
5  miles  from  home.     Obviously  this  one  had  no  home. 


ENVIRON-  This  is  a  creature  of  woodland  edges,  preferably  hard- 
wood; dense  coniferous  forests  do  not  please  it,  one  reason 
being  that  hollow  trees  are  essential  to  its  well-being.  It  does 
occasionally  lodge  in  rocky  crannies,  even  in  bank  burrows, 

*  N.  A.  Fauna,  No.  as,  1905,  p.  193. 

•  Quad.  N.  A.,  1849,  Vol.  II,  p.  81. 


Raccoon 


1017 


NVM- 
BZKS 


but  this  is  exceptional  and  imposed  by  the  absenct  <  <"  more 
congenial  quarters.  No  matter  what  its  daytime  residence  is, 
its  nightly  prowling  is  always  close  to  the  water. 

Its  numbers  «.c  much  greater  than  is  commonly  supposed. 
In  100  acres  of  hardwood  bush,  near  Toronto,  I  got  3  Coons, 
and  had  evidence  of  several  remaining.  Yet  they  were  con- 
sidered scarce.  This  woods  was  chiefly  second  growth; 
heavy  timber  has  proportionately  more  Coons.  Poland's  Fur 
Trade  Reports'  show  that  for  40  years  prior  to  1891,  500,000 
to  700,000  Coon  skins  have  been  marketed  each  year  from 
North  America.  As  Mexican  Coon  fur  is  worthless,  we  can 
see  by  the  map  that  the  region  paying  this  tribute  without  ap- 
parently suffering  is  about  two-thirds  of  the  United  States,  or 
3,000,000  square  miles.  I  reckon  that  an  annual  drain  of  25'per 
cent,  is  all  that  such  a  species  could  stand  without  diminishing, 
and  there  is  evidence  that  the  Raccoon  is  rather  increasing. 

Furthermore,  it  is  probable  that  not  more  than  half  the 
Coons  killed  are  marketed  in  London  as  fur.  Therefore,  the 
low  annual  return  of  500,000  would  represent  an  annual  kill 
of  1,000,000,  and  a  total  population  of  4,000,000  in  North 
America;  that  is,  a  pair  of  Coons  to  every  i|  square  miles  of 
their  range.  A  safe  estimate,  indeed,  even  though  we  have 
included  vast  farming  regions  in  the  Middle  States,  where 
the  species  is  now  exterminated. 

It  is  a  common  thing  to  find  half-a-dozen  Coons  in  one  socia- 
hollow  tree.     It  is  a  rare  thing  to  find  a  solitary  Coon.     There-  "'"" 
fore,  I  consider  the  Coon  a  sociable  animal.   But  they  do  not 
run  in  bands,  except  as  families,  nor  are  several  nests  placed 
together;  therefore,  they  are  but  slightly  gregarious. 

During  approach,  its  singular  black-masked  face;  during  ioter. 
retreat,  its  yet  more  singular  ringed  tail,  are  label  marks  that  S?c"""' 
proclaim  to  friend  and  foe  with  equal  emphasis  that  this  gray  ""<*" 
beast  ts  a  Coon. 

'  Fur-bearing  Animals,  1891,  pp.  xxu-xxxiii. 


II 


1018        Lifc-historics  of  Northern  Animals 


II 


nil 


ii 


I 


u 


I    k    !     I         i 


i 
I 

t 


t    ^ 

'    »  1 


MM 


MATING 


But  its  voice  is  even  more  serviceable  to  it.  The  queru- 
lous 'churr'  of  a  captive  Coon  squabbling  over  provender  is 
familiar  to  all.  The  growl  ar  '  snarl  of  Coons  in  fight  are  well 
known,  and  the  soft  'err-err-etr'  of  a  young  Coon,  begging  for 
food,  has  been  heard  by  all  who  know  the  Coon  as  a  pet.  But 
it  has  yet  another  note,  one  that  has  been  the  cause  of  much 
dispute.  In  the  black  woods,  on  still  nights,  I  have  often  heard 
it,  a  long-drawn,  tremulous  *fFhoo-oo-oo-oo.'  This  is  the 
'whicker.'  It  is  often  passed  for  or  confounded  with  the  call 
of  the  screech  owl.  But  I  think  I  can  tell  them  apart  by  the 
stronger  and  more  squally  quality  that  characterizes  the  sound 
of  the  quadruped;  the  bird's  note  is  much  softer  and  sweeter, 
as  well  as  more  often  uttered. 

The  ideal  den  of  this  creature  is  some  hollow  branch 
high  up  in  a  large  tree  that  is  fully  exposed  to  the  sun.  But 
Coon  ideals  are  as  scarce  as  those  of  man,  and  next  choice  is  any 
available  hole  in  a  standing  tree  or  tall  stub;  failing  this,  it 
will  use  any  hollow  trunk  it  can  find,  preferably  standing,  bur 
not  to  be  despised  when  down,  and  it  will  even  rest  content 
with  a  cranny  in  a  cliff.  So  far  as  I  can  learn,  it  draws  the 
line  only  at  a  hole  in  the  ground. 

The  den  is  not  only  the  nursery,  it  is  the  year-round  home 
of  the  family.  There  seems  little  doubt  that,  like  some  other 
species,  the  Coon  maintains  a  central  home-den  and  several 
hunting  lodges  scattered  in  convenient  proximity  to  favourite 
and  remote  feeding  grounds,  each  to  be  used  as  occasion  seems 
to  warrant. 

All  the  evidence  there  is  goes  to  show  that  the  Raccoon  is  a 
monogamous  animal  and  that  the  male  stays  with  the  female, 
helping  to  some  extent  in  the  rearing  of  the  brood.  When 
the  mating  takes  place  is  not  known.  The  analogy  of  their 
near  relations,  the  Bears,  would  fix  on  autumn  as  the  nuptial 
time.  Coons  are  ur.  abtcdly  noisier  then  than  at  any  other 
time,  which  is  a  mite  of  proof  for  autumnal  mating.  The  fact 
that  the  species  hibernates  is  another  indirect  evidence,  as 


PI.ATI:  IXX.WI.  -H,VC((M)N  STUIIIKS   KknM  I  IFE. 
B>  E.   T   S.  lull 


i 


Raccoon 


1019 


winter  torpor  is  usually  associated  with  long  gestation,  since  the 
days  passed  in  torpor  are  scarcely  counted  in  those  operations 
of  nature  where  high  functional  activity  is  essential;  further- 
more, we  may  argue  from  this  that  the  gestation  will  vary  greatly 
in  proportion  to  the  length  of  the  individual's  winter  sleep. 

The  young  are  born  in  April  or  May,  varying  somewhat  yodng 
with  the  latitude,  those  in  the  north  being  later;  they  number 
from  3  to  6,  4  being  usual. 

The  home-life  of  the  Coon  family  is  nearly  ideal.  I  think,  homk- 
but  am  not  sure,  vhat  the  father  continues  to  form  one  of  the  "" 
circle.  During  May  the  little  ones  stay  home  and  are  nour- 
ished only  with  milk.  In  late  June  they  are  one-third  grown 
and  begin  to  sit  outside  the  den  on  bright  days,  enjoying  their 
sun  bath,  but  ready  to  seek  the  home-nest  on  the  slightest  hint 
of  danger. 

A  charming  picture  of  young  Coon  life  in  Texas  is  supplied 
by  Vernon  Bailey:*  "While  watching  for  Fox-squirrels  [says 
he]  one  morning  (June  6]  in  the  heavily  timbered  bot- 
toms, I  heard  a  scratching  sound  from  an  old  cypress  in  the 
edge  of  the  swamp  near  by,  followed  by  a  loud  splash.  A 
young  Coon,  less  than  half  grown,  had  fallen  into  the  water. 
At  the  sound,  the  old  Coon  and  2  more  young  ones  came  out 
of  a  hollow  some  30  feet  up  in  the  trunk  and  climbed  down  to 
near  the  bottom  of  the  tree.  They  came  down  the  tree  slowly 
but  steadily,  head-first,  as  a  squirrel  would  have  done,  with  the 
hind-feet  reversed  and  slightly  divergent. 

"When  the  old  Coon  saw  the  young  one  climb  out  of  the 
water  upon  the  tree  trunk,  she  turned  about  and  ascended  the 
trunk,  followed  by  the  3  young.  The  one  that  had  fallen, 
besides  being  very  wet,  was  slightly  hurt  and  climbed  with 
difficulty.  When  half-way  up,  he  stopped  on  a  limb  to  rest  and 
began  whimpering  and  crying. 

"The  mother  had  already  reached  the  hole,  but,  on  hearing 
his  cries,  turned  about  and  climbed  down  to  him.    Taking  a 

'  N.  A.  Fauna,  No.  15, 1905,  p.  194. 


1020        Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 


li 


s 


good  hold  of  the  back  of  his  neck  and  placing  him  between  her 
fore-legs,  so  that  he,  too,  could  climb,  she  marched  him  up  the 
tree  and  into  the  hollow." 

Whether  the  parents  ever  bring  home  food  to  the  young 
is  not  known. 

In  mid-June,  about  Toronto,  I  found  the  young  still 
suckling. 

In  July  the  young  begin  to  accompany  their  mother,  or 
possibly  both  parents,  in  nightly  excursions  to  the  edges  of 
swamps  and  streams  where  they  learn  the  rudiments  of  frog- 
hunting,  crayfish  catching,  and  many  other  pursuits  that  make 
their  life. 

In  August — the  Green-corn  Moon — the  mother  Coon  will 
lead  them  to  the  fields  where  grow  the  milk  ear-rows,  and  they 
revel  in  a  feast  that  is  to  them  what  honey  is  to  Bears. 

A  lively  scene  took  place  one  mid-August  night  outside  my 
shanty  in  the  Adirondacks.  Two  Coon  families  had  met  at  a 
certain  delectable  fishing  pool,  which  was  responsible  indeed 
for  my  presence.  Their  meeting  was  accidental  and  unfortu- 
nate, if  one  might  jud^je  by  the  row  that  followed,  for  they 
squabbled,  scolded,  and  fought  for  half  the  night.  As  nearly 
as  could  be  ascertained  in  the  gloom,  there  were  2  old  ones  in 
charge  of  one  family  and  but  i  caring  for  the  other. 

All  through  autumn  and  winter  the  family  life  continues; 
not  even  the  mating  season  seems  to  mar  their  good-fellowship. 
Merriam  says:'  "It  is  unusual  to  find  a  Raccoon  alone,  for 
they  commonly  live  and  travel  in  small  companies,  consisting  of 
the  several  members  of  a  single  family.  They  do  not  return  to 
the  same  nest  every  morning,  but  often  make  little  excursions  in 
various  directions,  being  gone  several  days  at  a  time,  and  taking 

refuge,  about  daylight,  in  any  convenient  arboreal  shelter. 

*  *  iif  *  *  *  * 

"In  tracking  Raccoons  upon  the  crust  I  have  sometimes 
observed  a  family  to  separate  and  go  in  different  directions, 
spending  the  day  in  different  trees,  to  come  together  again  on 
the  night  following." 

'  Mam.  Adir.,  1884,  p.  94. 


Raccoon 


1021 


So  far  as  I  have  been  able  to  determine,  the  young  Coons 
stay  with  the  old  folks  as  long  as  the  latter  allow  it;  and  these 
make  their  full-grown  offspring  welcome  until  their  quarters 
are  needed  by  the  new  family,  which  arrives  with  commendable 
regularity  as  soon  as  the  late  April  showers  and  the  greening 
hills  proclaim  that  now  and  truly  is  the  world  astir  with  spring. 

The  hibernation  of  the  Coon  is  strictly  dependent  upon  habits 
temperature.     In  the  Red  River  Valley  it  lasts  from  mid- 
November  to  early  March.     In  the  latitude  of  New  York  it  is 
shortened  at  both  ends  by  several  weeks.     In  the  Southern 
States  the  species  dispenses  with  hibernation  altogether. 

The  remarks  of  Alexander  Henry  on  the  Raccoon  of  the 
Upper  Red  River  give  a  clear  idea  of  their  times  and  seasons 
m  northern  Minnesota.     The  records  in  his  Journal  are  thus' 

"  Park  River,  September  8, 1 800.  On  the  beach,  Raccoon 
tracks  are  plentiful.     (P.  90.) 

"October  4.    Caught  ♦  ♦  *  2  Raccoons,  in  *  *  *  trap 
Caught  5  Raccoons.    (P.  112.) 

"October  5.  My  men  caught  5  Raccoons  in  their  traps 
along  the  beach.    (P.  112.) 

"October  6.  My  men  caught  3  Raccoons,  in  traps. 
(P.  112.)  *^ 

"October  18.  My  men  have  caught  20 Raccoons.  (P.  122.) 

October  19.     Bring  in  daily  some  Raccoons.  *  *  *  verv 

fat.     (P.  122.)  ^ 

"November  7.  My  men  took  great  numbers  of  fat 
Kaccoons  m  their  traps.     (P.  136.) 

"November  21.  They  take  no  more  Raccoons  with 
traps.  These  animals  are  lodged  in  hollow  trees  where  they 
wUl  remam  like  Bears  until  spring  without  any  subsistence. 
(P-  155) 

"November  30.  *  *  *  Some  went  Raccoon  hunting,  the 
weather  being  warm.  They  returned  in  the  evening  with  7, 
which  they  found  in  one  hollow  tree.  The  size  of  this  tree 
was  enormous,  having  a  hollow  6  feet  in  diameter,  the  rim  or 

•  Journal,  pub.  1897. 


!  1 


f 


i  li 


I 


!    i 


I 

,! 

! 

i 

i 


1022        Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 

shell  being  2  feet  thick,  including  the  bark.  Raccoon-hunting 
is  common  here  in  the  winter  season.  The  hunter  examines 
every  hollow  tree  met  with,  and  when  he  sees  the  fresh  marks 
of  the  claws,  he  makes  a  hole  with  an  axe,  and  thus  opens  the 
hollow  space  in  which  he  lights  a  fire  to  find  out  if  there  be 
any  Raccoons  within,  as  they  often  climb  trees  in  the  autumn, 
and,  not  finding  them  proper  for  the  purpose,  leave  them  and 
seek  others.  But  if  they  be  within,  the  smoke  obliges  them  to 
ascend  and  put  their  heads  out  of  the  hole  they  entered.  On 
observing  this,  the  axe  is  applied  to  the  tree;  with  the  assistance 
of  the  fire  it  is  soon  down,  and  the  hunter  stands  ready  to  dis- 
patch the  animals  whilst  they  are  stunned  by  the  fall.  But 
sometimes  they  are  so  obstinate  as  to  remain  at  the  bottom  of 
the  hole  until  they  are  suffocated  or  roasted  to  death.   (P  157.) 

"March  5,  1801.  My  men  have  raised  and  put  their 
traps  in  order  for  the  spring  hunt,  as  the  Raccoons  begin  to 
come  out  of  their  winter  quarters  in  the  daytime,  though  they 
retire  to  the  hollow  trees  at  night.  *  *  *  My  men  begin  to  take 
Raccoons  which  are  very  lean."     (Pp.  17 1-2.) 

The  product  of  all  this  was  197  Coon  skins.     (P.  184.) 

Now  it  begins  again  its  season  of  active  life,  although  it  is 
ever  ready  to  resume  its  cold-sleep  if  the  return  of  cold  weather 
should  render  it  desirable.  As  the  ground  is  still  covered  with 
snow,  and  the  Coon  does  not  store  up  food,  it  is  hard  put  for  a 
time,  and  draws  freely  on  the  reserves  that  are  afforded  by  its 
fat.  These  are  usually  exhausted  before  Dame  Nature  again 
provides  its  daily  bread,  so  that,  as  we  have  seen,  the  spring 
Coon  is  a  very  lean  beast. 

This  is  strictly  nocturnal  if  any  animal  ever  is;  the  darkest 
hours  of  night  are  its  favourite  time  for  prowling,  which,  never- 
theless does  not  prevent  enterprising  reformers  of  the  race 
occasionally  setting  forth  on  a  diurnal  excursion,  for  which  they 
not  uncommonly  share  the  fate  of  unnumbered  reformers,  and 
win,  without  wearing,  a  martyr's  crown. 

Although  nesting  and  resting  in  trees,  where  it  moves  about 
with  the  slow  caution  of  'Possum  and  Bear,  rather  than  the 


Raccoon 


1023 


reckless  agility  of  Marten  and  Squirrel,  the  Coon  travels,  hunts, 
and  feeds  almost  exclusively  on  the  ground. 

It  may  occasionally  rob  the  nest  of  woodpecker,  Squirrel,  food 
or  other  tree-dweller,  but  such  must  not  be  considered  its 
normal  habit  of  life— by  far  the  greatest  bulk  of  its  food  is  taken 
on  or  near  the  ground. 

It  is  quite  omnivorous.  Frogs,  fish,  flesh,  fowl,  eggs, 
reptiles,  ins'»cts,  shell-fish,  fruit,  nuts,  grain,  vegetables,  and 
sweets  are  acceptable  fare  with  the  Coon;  not  equally  so,  but 
all  welcome  at  all  times. 

In  a  wild  state,  the  summer-long  main  support  of  the  Coon 
is  frogs.  In  catching  them  by  night  it  is  singularly  expert,  and 
when  the  frog  takes  refuge  in  the  muddy  bottom,  the  Coon,  with 
wonderfully  dextrous,  tactile  fingers,  gropes  after  it.  Leaving 
the  enterprise  entirely  to  its  paws,  its  eyes  may  scan  the  woods 
and  shores  in  a  vacant  way,  but  its  mind  is  in  touch  with  the 
finger-tips,  and  the  frog  that  escapes  them  must  indeed  be 
worthy  to  live  and  father  a  superior  race. 

As  Merriam  says:"  "They  overturn  stones  and  catch 
the  crayfish  that  lurk  beneath,  and  also  gather  the  fresh- 
water mussels  (JJnio  and  Anodon)  that  live  on  sandy  and 
inuddy  bottoms.  They  also  catch  and  devour  the  hapless  fish 
that  chance  to  get  detained  in  any  of  the  little  pools  along- 
shore, but  are  unable  to  dive  and  pursue  their  prey  under 
water,  like  the  Otter  and  Mink." 

Pennant  describes"  this  animal  as  particularly  fond  of 
oysters,  and  says  it  "will  watch  the  opening  of  the  shell,  dex- 
trously  put  in  its  paw,  and  tear  out  the  contents;  sometimes  the 
oyster  suddenly  closes,  catches  the  thief,  and  detains  it  till 
drowned  by  the  return  of  the  tide." 

In  the  Southern  States  its  coat  may  change  to  a  less  sub- 
stantial style,  but  its  appetite  for  all  nutritious  dainties  is  the 
same.  Audubon  and  Bachman  detail"  its  watching  of  "the 
soft-shelled  turde,  when  she  is  about  to  deposit  her  eggs,  for 
which  purpose  she  leaves  the  water  and,  crawling  on  to  the 


"  Mam.  Adir.,  1884,  pp.  9i-a 

'  Quad.  N.  A.,  1849,  Vol.  II,  pp.  76-8. 


"Arctic  Zoal.,  1784,  Vol.  I,  p.  70. 


Mte 


WASHING 
HABIT 


1024        Life-histories  of  Northern  AnimaU 

white  sand-bar,  digs  a  hole  and  places  them  m  dein-jatii  the 
heated  surface.  Quickly  does  the  rogue  dig  up  i»;e  clastic 
ova  although  ever  so  carefully  covered,  and  appr'^pn.te  iUern 
to  his  own  use,  notwithstanding  the  efforts  of  the  luckless 
turtle  to  conceal  them. 

"Sometimes  by  the  margin  of  a  pond,  shrouded,  or 
crouched  among  tall  reeds  and  grasses.  Grimalkin-like,  the 
Raccoon  lies  still  as  death,  waiting  with  patience  for  some  ill- 
fated  duck  that  may  come  within  his  reach.  No  negro  on  a 
plantation  knows  with  more  accuracy  when  the  corn  (maize) 
is  juicy  and  ready  for  the  connoisseur  in  roasting  ears,  and  he 
does  not  require  the  aid  of  fire  to  improve  its  flavour,  but  at- 
tacks it  more  voraciously  than  the  Squirrel  or  the  blackbird, 
and  is  the  last  to  quit  the  corn-field.  *  *  *  and  although  it  gen- 
erally visits  the  corn-fields  at  night,  sometimes  feeds  on  the 
green  corn  during  the  day;  we  have  seen  it  thus  employed 
during  the  heat  of  summer." 

Although  the  frog-pond  and  the  corn-patch  supply  its 
choicest  foods,  the  Coon  is  not  averse  to  a  fat  fowl.  Some 
individuals,  indeed,  seem  to  give  way  to  the  chicken  habit 
and  riot  in  the  hen-house  night  after  night,  killing  first  a  fowl 
and  then  a  dozen  at  a  time,  until  they  fall  into  the  power  of 
the  barn-fowl's  proper  guardian. 

These,  however,  are  abnormal  individuals  and  are  not  to 
be  considered  representative  of  the  race's  food-habits.  It  is 
possible  that,  like  most  Lords  of  the  Forest,  its  principal  reve- 
nue is  derived  from  Mice,  which  are  available  when  frogs  and 

fruit  are  not.  .     . 

Summing  up  its  dietary— there  is  nothing  m  it,  except 
occasional  thefts  of  corn  and  fowl,  to  blacklist  this  creature 
on  the  farm-book;  and  these  are  so  offset  by  its  usefulness  as  a 
fur-bearer  and  beast  of  the  chase,  that  most  persons  are  glad 
to  hear  that  the  Coon  is  rather  increasing  in  America. 

The  Latin  name  {lotor  or  washer)  and  German  name 
{Wash-hear)  record  a  common  habit  of  this  animal.  If  near 
the  water,  it  rarely  eats  a  morsel  of  food  without  washing  it. 


.  ''lATE  LXXXVII.— TRACKS   OF   RACCOON    (l  IFF.   SIZF) 

Made  by  dr.v.ng  ,hc  an.mal  „.er  frc.*  black  pain,  then  .crc»  a  clean  rfiee.  of  sol,  paper.     Secured  by  Mrs.  Grace  G.  Se,nn. 


(  MP 


:P  -i 


i  t 


Raccoon 


10«5 


This  Mosaic  habit  seems  to  have  arisen  from  its  fashion  of 
groping  with  busy  nervous  fingers  in  the  mud  for  frogs,  fish, 
or  insects.  Then,  having  secured  some  wriggling  prey,  its 
first  care,  before  eating,  is  to  clear  it  of  sand  and  clay,  by  dab- 
bling it  in  the  open  water.  Taking  advantage  of  this,  many 
trappers  catch  Coons  by  setting  in  the  mud  on  some  favourite 
frogging  point.  I  shall  never  forget  the  sensation  I  had  in  my 
early  days  when,  one  morning,  on  going  to  a  trap  set  for 
Muskrat  I  found,  firmly  held  in  it  by  one  paw,  a  huge  and 
savage-looking  Raccoon. 

If  necessary  to  reach  some  desirable  food  or  to  escape  swim- 
from  an  undesirable  caller,  the  Coon  will  swim  fearlessly  and  "'"^ 
well,  but  ordinarily  is  not  fond  of  water  in  which  it  cannot 
comfortably  wade. 

As  a  runner  it  takes  low  rank.     I  never  saw  but  one  run-  run- 
ning  before  the  hounds  in  daylight,  and  its  speed  seemed  "'"^ 
barely  half  of  theirs.     Moreover,  in  many  nights  cooning,  I 
never  knew  one  of  these  animals  to  run  more  than  a  quarter 
of  a  mile  before  treeing. 

It  is  a  desperate  fighter.  I  have  seen  one  beat  off  two  fight- 
large  hounds,  each  of  which  was  over  double  his  weight,  and  ^* 
saw  another  defeat  three  dogs— a  terrier  and  two  hounds.  A 
Bedlington  terrier,  a  famous  fighting  dog  in  Toronto,  was  said 
to  have  reached  the  final  pitch  of  war-glory  when,  single- 
handed,  he  killed  a  full-grown  Coon  whose  weight  was  about 
the  same  as  his  own. 

The  old  Raccoon  is  sullen,  dangerous,  and  untameable  if  as  pets 
kept  captive,  but  the  young,  if  taken  at  an  early  age— that  is, 
before  they  have  begun  to  hunt  for  themselves— make,  as 
Merriam  says,"  "intelligent  and  interesting  pets;  being  easily 
tamed  and  evincing  considerable  aflFection  for  their  master. 

"But  they  cannot   be  allowed  their   liberty  like  tame 
Skunks,  because  of  their  innate  propensity  for  mischief.     If 

"Mam.  Adir,  1884,  p.  93. 


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1026       Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 

not  closely  watched,  they  will  slyly  enter  the  house  through 
some  open  door  or  window,  and  are  liable  to  do  considerable 
damage,  for  their  natural  curiosity  proaipts  them  to  examine 
everything  within  reach,  and  anything  out  of  reach  of  a 
'Coon'  must  be  inaccessible  indeed.  They  invariably  mani- 
fest an  insatiate  desire  to  investigate  the  pantry  shelves, 
and  rarely  neglect  to  taste  every  edible  thing  that  hap- 
pens to  be  there.  They  have  a  special  penchant  for  sweet- 
meats, and  greedily  devour  preserves,  honey,  molasses, 
sugar,  pies,  and  cakes;  and  even  bread,  butter,  lard,  milk, 
etc.,  are  by  no  means  disregarded.  They  remove  the  cov- 
ers from  jars  and  pails,  and  uncork  bottles  with  as  much 
ease  and  facility,  apparently  as  if  they  had  been  instructed 
in  this  art  from  earliest  infancy.  Doors  that  latch,  as 
they  do  in  most  old  country  houses,  are  soon  opened, 
even  by  unsophisticated  Coons,  and  it  takes  them  but  a 
short  time  to  acquire  the  method  of  opening  knob  doors. 
Their  fore-paws  are  employed  as  hands,  and  can  be  put  to 
almost  as  great  a  variety  of  uses  as  those  of  the  monkey — 
which  animal  they  further  resemble  in  the  propensity  for 
mischief-making." 

SANTTA-  The  species  has  progressed  but  little  along  the  paths  of 

""^^  sanitation.  Its  dung  is  dropped  anywhere,  at  any  time,  ex- 
cepting while  in  the  nest.  Like  cow,  horse,  and  Bear,  the 
Coon  can  void  as  it  walks— is,  in  fact,  a  peripatetic  defecator 
— but,  owing  to  conditions,  this  bovine  habit  is  not  accom- 
panied by  bovine,  much  less  equine,  success. 

Audubon  and  Bachman  tell  of  a  tame  Coon  that  enjoyed 
a  bucket  of  water  thus:'* 

"After  playing  for  a  short  time  in  the  water  it  would 
commonly  urinate  in  it  and  then  upset  the  pail." 

TR-ACKs  The  tracks  are  shown  in  Fig.  235;  the  pairing  of  the 

front  feet  when  at  full  speed  agrees  with  the  tree-climbing 
habit  of  the  species. 

»  Quad.  N.  A.,  1849,  Vol.  II,  p.  79. 


f  r 


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—  _    -»<> 


FIO.JJS— Tracks  of  KtccooB. 


FIO.JJS— Tracks  of  KtccooB. 

The  iwo  li»»,  tuck.  o.  the  ri»ht  ue  l<ft  fiuoi  .nd  left  hind  of  •  lana  indl.idiuJ    .  hn  an  auunl  lin 

?t'  *"1!S  ""Ji"  '•"  ""  "'•*' '''  •  '••»«  Racoon  r..Iiiiing  thiourE  Ihe  mo.. 

Th.  Biddl«  MTlM  it  put  of  tUs  ud  ikowi  .here  the  creuun  ••Uud  whea  ha  ihould  haTa  Rood  ttUl 

1027 


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ENEMIES 


USES 


1W8        Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 

'Cute  as  a  (.  .M»n,'  is  an  old  adage  that  is  supposed  to  refer 
to  the  fox-Ukt  .inning  of  the  old  Raccoon.  My  own  experience 
does  not  beai  this  <  ^t.  I  have  i aught  several  in  very  obviou.^ 
traps  that  a  Fox  wuuld  have  scoffed  at.  Merriam  says  of  a 
treed  Coon:'*  "If  the  tree  is  too  large  to  be  easily  felled,  a 
trap  set  at  its  foot  and  baited  with  a  bit  of  codHsh  or  an  ear 
of  corn,  is  pretty  suu  to  s^^'vure  him  before  the  next  mornini    ' 

I  have  several  ;  ips  jcard  of  a  trick  by  which  hunt f- 
secure  a  Coon  that  has  <;ouf  up  a  tree  too  large  to  be  t  down 
and  too  dense  of  1<  <'t\  gc  ;  be  searched  out  with  torch  and 
keenest  eyes.  If  s;  w  is  laii-ly,  they  mak*^  a  band  of  it  md  tie 
it  around  the  tree  .s  hig!  ujjiis  thL-v  can  reach.  Ove:  .is  ^hc 
Coon  will  not  come,  -iu,  i.-'y<  mornuig.  the  hunter  returns  with 
rifle  and  picks  bin  off  out  of  the  topmost  branches.  VVher 
no  straw  is  at  hand,  a  ihunn)  ma'te  of  surplus  clorhing  is 
sometimes  left,  and  as  erfectualiV  guards  the  prisoner. 

A  Coon  travelling  through  tht  woods  always  runs  along 
every  fallen  log  that  lies  in  the  I  of  its  ravel.s  Thi-  fact  is 
often  taken  advantage  of  in  trapf^ing.  Two  ^tl.  ks  are  crossed 
in  the  middle  of  a  log  so  that  the  creature  must  jump  at  that 
place,  and  a  trap  is  hidden  at  each  side  of  the  jump  to  make  sure 
of  it  coming  or  going. 

Man,  no  doubt,  is  its  worst  enei  y,  and  vet  the  species 
seems  to  have  increased  in  recent  year;  ,  due  j  itly,  no  doubt, 
to  the  abundant  food  supply  furn.hed  by  the  settlers'  crops, 
and  partly  to  the  destruction  of  enemies  that  prey  on  the  Coon. 

The  most  formidable  of  these,  perhaps,  is  the  Fish 
R  krence  to  the  article  on  this  animal  shows  that  trie  pretici 
species  increases  in  the  northern  region  as  the  Fisher  is  e 
terminated  by  the  trapper. 

The  roast  Coon  is  the  supposed  pro     r  finish  of  a  C    >n 
hunt.     Young   ones    killed   without   a    b-ittle    and    proper! 
cooked  are  palatable,  hut  a  tough  warrior  male,  to  whom  cieat 
came  in  a  long,  desperate  fight  is  nor  fit  <  >r  human  food. 

"  Mam.  Adir.,  1884,  p  94- 


*.•>«*•  i 


Racc<x)n 


\0i9 


The  fir  i  th*  creature's  chief  ....ntributior  to  human  rv« 
comfort.  Hall  a  im  iion  skins  are  shipped  to  London  in  good 
vears  to  be  manufactured  -nto  over  ats,  sicigh-robes,  and 
mot.  -car  r^ps.  for  this  it  is  pamcularly  well  adapted, 
brinu  a  (I  t  war.  i  fur  of  the  coarser  ind  Oi  a  strong  and 
d  irabic  uiicr.  T  e  abui  dance  of  the  a.iimal  keeps  the 
price  low,  so  it  jijs  an  estabi  ^hcd  popularity. 

bufinp  the     ighty-fivr  years,  1821  ti     .;o5  inclusive,  the 
Hud        -  B.  V    o.   pai  -cted  167,027  skins  of  this  species, 

847  %  <uch  year.     The  lowest   vas  o  in  1829; 


ana         ge  01 
rhe  hifTf   st,  . 

'895  to      yOj, 

Pol..  !d' 

611  to  1801    n. 

/'  lerit        omp. 

'     f  thi  3g( 

+,000         lie  fi 


in  !' 
sh 


nuai 


The  average  for    he  ten  years, 


lat  '' 

avera 
catch 


ing  the  sevt   i>-one  years, 

kins  were  tak  :i  by  the  other 

f  382,091  each  year.     So 

Raccoon  for  fur  is  about 


11    '\\i 

A 
Marr! 

each 

exL 
or  i.5; 

•  r 
a  sk  m. 


rd  high  year  v^  us  1883,  when  711,071  were 


y  the  traders 

the   London  annual   fur  sales,  h' '' 
1906,  the  highest  price  paid  was  1 
34  unusually  large,  dark,  fine  j,^. 
al.     The  nearest  to  this  was  12  shili 
'arge  skins.     More  usual  prices 
hillings  ($iM),  and  many  lots  ot 


.NO. 

and 


L  ampson's, 

lings  (56.24) 

t  this  was 

88)  each 

shillings 

r  quality 


olG  at    ight  pence  (16  cents)  and  i  shilling  (24  jents) 


■M 


(1  ■"■: 


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H 


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1 


I 


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I 


ii  t 


XLVI. 

Grizzly-bear,  Silver-tip,  Roachback,  or  Montana 

Grizzly. 

Ursus  horrihilis  Ord. 
(L.  Ursus,  a  bear;  L.  horrihilis,  horrible.) 

Ursus  horrihilis  Ord.,    1815,  Guthr.  Geog.,  2nd   Am.   ed., 
Vol.  II,  pp.  291  and  300. 

Type  Locality. — Montana. 

French  Canadian,  VOurs  gris  ou  feroce. 
Cree  &  OjiB.,  Mish-e  muk-wa'. 
Chipewyan,  Klay'-zy. 
Ogallala  Sioux,  Mah-to'  shah-kay'  han-ska'. 

The  name  'Gr'zzly'  or  'gray'  was,  according  to  the 
Century  Dictionary,  given  to  this  Bear  on  account  of  "  its 
usual  colouration."  The  word  'grisly'  (grewsoi.-e,  grim,  or 
terrible)  was  applied  later. 

The  Bear  Family  Ursida  is  composed  of  very  large,  heavy, 
thickset  carnivorous  animals  of  dull  colours,  not  spotted  or 
striped.  They  have  5  well-developed  toes  on  each  foot;  their 
hind-feet  are  plantigrade;  they  have  fixed  claws;  very  short 
tails;  short,  rounded  ears,  and  the  true  molars  with  broad,  flat 
tuberculated  crown. 

The  genus  Ursus  (Linn.,  1758)  has  the  above  characters, 
with  colors,  black,  dull  brown,  yellowish-gray,  or  white,  and  the 
following  dentition  (often  wanting  in  premolars): 


Inc.^ 

2-: 


1-1              I-'                 4~4          I  2-2 
i^;  can. ;  prem. -!— ^;  mol. -42 

3-3  i-i  4-4  ^-^ 


■3-3 


1030 


!  'H 


^aa 


laaii 


u;  f, 


il 


H 


Grizzly-bear  losi 

In  combination  with  the  above  Family  and  generic  char-  sizb 
acters,  the  Grizzly  has  very  distinctive  specific  feature    of  size 
and  colour. 

It  is  greatly  to  be  regretted  that  full  authentic  measure- 
ments of  typical  Grizzlies  have  not  been  put  on  record.    At  best 

Fia  tjb—VU  ituilkt  ol  Oiioly  pawc 

we  can  go  to  Lewis  and  Clark.'     They  killed  a  large  specimer 
near  Porcupine  River  in  Montana.     It  measured  as  follows: 

Length  from  the  nose  to  the  extremity  of  the 

hind-foot 8  feet     7i 'nche«  (2,630  mm.) 

Circumference  near  the  fore-leg      .    .    .    .  5    "    loj      "      (1,790  mm.) 

I              of  the  neck 3    "     „        -      (,,,94  „„.) 

ofthe  middle  of  the  fore-leg    .  i  foot  11        "         (584  mm) 

Length  of  the  talon. ^|      «         („,„„.) 

"But  this  was  not  the  largest  Bear  killed  by  the  party. 
They  give  an  account  cfone  which  measured  9  feet  [2,743  mm.] 
from  the  nose  to  the  extremity  of  the  tail,  and  the  talons  of 
another  were  6J  inches  [159  mm.]  in  length." 

From  various  data  at  hand,  I  should  say  that  an  ordinary 
male  Grizzly  stood  about  3^  to  4  feet  (1,067  to  1,220  mm.)  at 
the  shoulder,  and  a  female,  about  3  feet  (914  mm.). 

The  hind-foot  of  an  ordinary  adult  is  about  10  inches 
'254  mm.)  long  from  heel  to  tip  of  longest  claw;  9  inches 

*  Guthr.  Geog.,  Rhoads  reprint,  1894,  p.  300. 


J  •; 


? 


)  c  f 


WEIGHT 


COLOUR 


1032        Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 

(229  mm.)  would  be  small,  and  12  inches  (305  mm  )  very  large 
Of  course,  the  tra.k  is  larger  than  the  foot  ^  ^      ^ 

t»;n  •       "?'"'^  ^"^^^  '°  •'■g  ^f'^"  charging  over  the  moun 
tem^ue  or  lymg  stretched  at  the  feet  of  the  victoriouTand 

s:;;!:;^';;-;;.^''^-" «— -  i-eight.  «rh::^ 

pasf^  haTr*"""  Tu-  ?''!!'"«  "  good-sized  Grizzly  walk 
past,  had  I  guessed  hjs  height  at  the  shoulder  I  should  have 
^  d  at  Ieast4  feet(i,22o  mm.).  But  I  noticed  that  he  passed 
without  stooping  under  a  certain  horizontal  b^an  h  and  tWs 
I^afterwards  found  to  be  but  35  inches  (SS,  mmO  frl  the 

ever  wdgSed '/''cl'  ''  "°r'°"  ?  '^^"^^^  '^^'  ^  '"^^  Grizzly 
™zz7y  reache  'f?oo  °"  !;  ^V''"'  ""^  ^"*  '^'  Californian 
averaTe  we.Vht  nV  7''""^;'  ^°°  P^""^«  '«  "^^'^^  "<=arly  the 
ITrlT    ft       '"^'^''  '^^  500  of  females.    Colonel  W  D 

than  ^^pounds  ;  "'  '  ""''''  ^'^  '"^'"^  "^"^  ^'^'^ 
stone  Pa?k  "^TntT  k°°  '?  '^^^e  Grizzly  from  the  Yellow- 
Has"sir:tdde'3  ^Z^;"^^^'  ^^  ^^^^-  -^ 

rhi^\^:^:tG't\^  "^°^^  '^  '''53  pounds. 

Grizzlv  S  I^J.?■     .     "''''  ^'  '^^  ^"S*^^  °^  «"  •enormous 
unzzly  that  lived  eighteen  years  in  Union  Park   Chicago 

He  was  fed  to  suffocation  by  the  thousands  of  visLs  and Tn 

I  Personal  letter  to  G.O.  Shields. 
Recreation  Magazine,  August,  1899,  P-  135. 


GriuUei. 


1033 


^HMItaiiKiBAil 


If 


FORM 


1034        Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 

uals  the  tipping  is  so  reduced  that  the  Bear  looks  deep  brown 
or  cinnamon;  in  others  it  is  so  increased  that  the  Bear  at  a 
distance  looks  dirty  white,  but,  in  ail,  the  limbs  are  dark. 
Another  general  feature  of  colour  is  an  upright  bar  or  patch  of 
dull  white  behind  th-  shoulder. 

The  distinctive  external  characters  of  the  Grizzly's  form 
are  its  concave  facial  outline  (the  Blackbear's  is  about  straight), 
the  maned  hump  on  its  back,  over  the  shoulders,  and  the  great 
size  of  its  front  claws,  which  are  twice  the  length  of  the  hind 
ones  and  but  little  curved. 

From  the  Blackbear  group  it  is  easily  distinguished  by 
these  peculiarities;  from  the  Polar-btar  by  the  latter's  white 
colour,  convex  profile,  hairy  soles,  and  short  claws;  but  to 
distinguish  it  from  the  many  Alaskan  species  of  Fish-bears 
and  Brown-bears,  by  external  characters,  is  not  at  present 
possible. 


The  following  races  are  recognized: 

horribilis  Ord.,  the  typical  form. 

horriaus  Baird. 

californicus  Merriam,  a  very  large  race  with  little 

silver  tipping. 
alascensis  Merriam,  a  large  northern  race. 
ph>eonyx  Merriam,  a  large  race  with  dark-coloured 

claws. 

Life-history. 


RANGE 


IN  MANl- 

TOBA 


The  original  range  of  the  Grizzly  is  shown  on  Map 
No.  55.  It  !s  now,  of  course,  greatly  restricted,  especially 
in  the  east.  The  Grizzly  is  no  longer  found  on  the  open 
plains,  and  in  California  it  is  nearly  if  not  quite  extinct. 

The  claim  of  the  Grizzly-bear  to  be  entered  on  the  Mani- 
toba list  rests  chiefly  on  the  narrative  of  Alexander  Henry,  the 
nephew.  He  was  an  expert  hunter  and  trapper,  and  close 
observer.    He  was,  moreover,  well  acquainted  with  the  Grizzly- 


w\:'f!ir^^. 


M-AP  55-PRIMITIVE  RANGE  OP  THE  50RTH  AMEWCAH  BEARS  " 

U-u,  nloiXu.  MuriMia.  AdmiriJJ  Ich.  B..r. 

1036 


U^  iX!il/'*?l:  "<«>«•»•  OriniT  with  .  recM. 
l/'«j  vAnniHc  Ibriiaia,  drk-cUind  Orii^    ' 


!J 


1036 


Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 


bear  of  the  Mountains,  and  his  account,  especially  in  view  of 
the  supporting  testimony,  must  be  allowed  full  weight.  In  the 
year  1800,  he  built  a  trading  post  on  the  Red  River  at  the  mouth 
of  Park  River  in  North  Dakota,  about  thirty  miles  south  of  the 
International  Boundary.    The  journal  he  kept  of  those  times 


Fig.  3]g— Life  midict  of  GrinI;. 

shows  that  Blackbear  were  extraordinarily  numerous,  and  that 
Grizzlies  were  occasionally  seen  on  Red  River.  In  his  journal 
for  1800  are  these  entries:* 

"October  17.  *  *  *  During  my  absence  the  hunter  killed 
a  large  Grizzly-bear'  about  a  mile  from  the  fort.  He  had  seen 
two  males  and  a  female,  but  the  latter  escaped.  My  people, 
having  cooked  and  eaten  some  of  the  flesh,  were  taken  very  ill, 
and  most  of  them  threw  it  up.  This  Bear  had  been  wounded 
in  the  fore-leg  some  time  before  by  an  arrow,  the  iron  head  of 
which  stuck  fast  in  the  bone,  and  was  beginning  to  rust. 
Grizzly-bears  are  not  numerous  along  Red  River,  but  more 
abundant  in  the  Hair  Hills  [Pembina  Mountains].  At  Lac  du 
Diable  [Devil's  Lake],  which  is  about  30  leagues  west,  they  are 
very  common — I  am  told  as  common  as  the  Blackbear  is  here, 
and  very  malicious.  Near  that  lake  runs  a  principal  branch  of 
Schian  [Cheyenne]  River,  which  is  partially  wooded.  On  the 
banks  of  this  river  I  am  informed  they  are  also  very  numerous; 

*  Alexander  Heniy  Joht.'\  1897,  p.  m. 

*  Dr.  Elliott  Coues,  the  accomplished  naturalist  who  edited  Henry's  Journal,  identifies 
this  as  the  Ursus  horribUis. 


Grizzly-bear  io87 

and  seldom  molested  by  the  hunters,  it  being  the  frontier  of 
the  Sioux,  where  none  can  hunt  in  safety;  so  there  they  breed 
and  multiply  in  security, 

"October  i8.  *  *  *  My  hunter  plagued  me  for  a  small 
keg  of  liquor,  havmg  vowed,  on  killing  the  Grizzly-beai,  that 
he  would  niake  a  feast  of  rum.  This  is  a  common  custom 
among  the  Saulteurs,  when  they  kill  any  uncommon  animal  " 

Again,  on  page   145,  he  writes:    On  Cheyenne  River 

GrizzIy-bears  are  to  be  seen  in  droves;  and  it  may  be  called 

the  nursery  of  Buffalo  and  Deer.     It  is  a  delightful  country. 

but  seldom  can  our  Saulteurs  kill  a  Beaver  there  without  falling 

in  with  their  enemies."  ^ 

Later,  in  his  returns  of  fur  from  Lower  Red  River  De- 
partment, 1 800-1,  Henry  enters:* 

BLACK-    BROWN-  GRIZZLY- 

From  Reed  River  (Roseau  River),  Man.    "5^       ""o"'      "T 
From  Park  River,  Dak ,23  j^  * 

In  the  following  year,  though  152  Blackbear  and  42 
Brown-bear  appear,  there  was  but  i  Grizzly  taken,  and  that 
was  brought  into  Portage  la  Prairie,  Man.     (P.  221  ) 

rP  ^K-  '^%"^'  ''^  '*'*'°''''  '°  Grizzlies;  4  from  Hair  Hills 
(Pembina  Mountains),  4  from  Salt  River,  2  from  Pembina 
Kiver.     (P.  259.) 

In  the  season  of  1805-6,  the  returns  show  125  Black- 
bear,  49  Brown-bear,  and  4  Grizzly-bear.  Of  these  Grizzlies 
I  was  taken  at  Portage  la  Prairie  and  3  at  Pembina  River! 
(f.  281.)  As  the  furs  collected  at  each  post  were,  for  business 
reasons,  classed  separately  with  great  care,  there  was  little 
Chance  of  importations  to  impair  the  scientific  value  of  the  list 

On  August  29,  1808,  Alexander  Henry,  writing  at  a  poini 
on  the  Saskatchewan  some  60  miles  below  the  Forks,  that  is 
near  W.  Long.  104",  says;'  ' 

•    I  "J^^"^^^  °^  animals  are  very  numerous  along  the  beach 

spedes"^  ^'^''  ^°'*'  °^  '^'  '°'""'°"  ^"*^  Grizzi; 


•  'Wrf.,  p.  184. 


'Ibid.,  p.  480. 


1038        Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 


i 


HOME- 
RANGE 


This  note  is  of  special  interest  as  marking  the  probable 
north-easternmost  extension  of  the  Grizzly-ucar.  But  its  range 
began  to  shrink  with  that  of  the  Buffalo  that  it  preyed  on,  or 
both  retreated  before  the  mounted  riflemen,  who  now  began  to 
appear. 

In  Brackcnridge's  time  (1814):'  This  Bear  was  "not 
usually  seen  lower  than  the  Mandan  Village  [near  Bismarck, 
N.  Dak.].  In  the  vicinity  of  the  Roche  Jaune  [Yellowstone] 
and  of  the  Little  Missouri,'  they  are  said  to  be  most  numerous." 

In  1820,  Richardson  saw  a  Grizzly  killed  at  Carlton 
House,"  on  the  Saskatchewan,  and  intimates  that  the  species 
was  well  known  to  the  Indians  there,  though  not  apparently 
farther  east.  He  gives  its  range  as  "  the  Rocky  Mountains  and 
the  plains  lying  to  the  eastward  of  them  as  far  as  Latitude  61°, 
and  perhaps  still  farther  north,""  and  as  late  as  1875  Colonel 
Dodge  reports  the  species  numerous  in  the  Black  Hills." 

The  range  of  the  individual  Grizzly  varies  greatly  with 
local  conditions.  In  a  nigged  mountainous  region  wbcie  food 
abounds  it  will  not  go  half  a  dozen  miles  from  a  central  point. 
In  the  days  when  it  followed  the  Buffalo  herds  it  probably 
went  ten  times  as  far,  for,  unlike  the  Blackbear,  it  is  at  home  on 
the  plains.  But  a  typical  Grizzly  in  ordinary  mountain  country 
to-day  will  ramble  over  a  home-region  at  least  25  miles  across. 

W.  H.  Wright,  after  exceptional  experiences,  says:"  "The 
Grizzly  will  live  his  life  in  a  restricted  area.  He  will  go  but  a 
few  miles  in  any  direction  if  there  is  food  at  hand,  but  he  will 
seek  the  food  he  wants  if  it  is  20  miles  away.  A  Grizzly,  how- 
ever, nearly  always  selects  a  range  where  he  will  not  have  to 
travel  very  far  to  feed." 


f  f 


ABUN-  jn  ancient  days  it  was  common  to  see  a  dozen  of  these 

monsters  in  a  day's  march.     Old  hunters  say  that  they  would 


'H.  M.  Brackenridge,  Views  of  Louisiana,  1814,  p.  55. 
'  Probably  not  the  present  Little  Missouri. 


"  F.  B.  A.,  iSag,  I,  p.  25. 

'•  The  Black  HUls,  1876,  p.  im. 

»  World's  Worit,  August,  1905,  p.  6540. 


"  Ibid.,  p.  a. 


Fhi.  ijB— Criiay  iiumt.    (From  iiie.j 
1039 


I '  i 


A  ■ 


1040        Lik-hisu  ries  of  Northern  Animals 

a\  rage  that  number  in  the  spring  of  the  year.  From  various 
reports  it  sfems  likely  that  in  choicest  ranges  a  Grizzly  to  a 
square  mile  wa«  quite  within  the  bounds  of  probability. 

But  its  numbers  have  dwindled  with  its  range.  It  is  gone 
from  the  open  country.  It  is  found  now  only  in  the  most 
inaccessible  inountains. 

In  California,  the  ;;ieaie».  of  these  great  Bears  is  near 
extinction.  I  spent  a  month  in  the  High  Sierra  in  1897  looking 
for  Grizzlies  ?nd  saw  only  two  fresh  tracks  in  all  that  time- 
probably  made  by  he  same  animal.  In  1902,  I  was  told  by 
Dr.  James  R.  Walker,  of  Pine  Ridge,  S.  Dak.,  that  a  few  Griz- 
zlies still  lingered  about  the  Black  Hills.  But  I  doubt  their 
existence  to-day  (1908). 

The  range  of  the  species  is  reduced  to  one-quarter;  its 
numbers  are  divided  by  20.  The  day  is  even  now  in  sight 
when  the  Grizzly-bear,  as  a  wild  inhabitant  of  the  United 
States,  will  cease  to  exist. 

In  British  Columbia  it  holds  out  fairly  well  as  yet.  Not 
many  years  ago  W.  H.  Wright  saw  21  there  in  a  single  spring 
trip." 

ztmjLott.  The  ideal  home  of  this  animal  is  high  rolling  uplands, 
***^  where  dry,  open  frairies  are  interspersed  with  rocky  ridges 
and  densely  wooded  thickets.  Here  it  finds  food  in  abundance 
as  well  as  sunning  places  and  shady  retreats  in  which  it  can 
wallow  in  mud  and  coolness,  and  defy  alike  the  over-hot  sun, 
the  bot,  the  gnat,  and  the  relentless  mosquito. 

Even  in  the  days  when  it  roved  the  wide  plains  it  was 
usually  found  in  the  bottom-lands  and  places  that  had  a 
vestige  of  cover  rather  than  bold  and  bull-like  on  the  level 
open. 


SOOA- 
BIUTV 


Notwithstanding  many  accounts  of  Bears  in  droves,  etc., 
the  Grizzly  is  not  a  sociable  or  gregarious  animal.  The 
groups  of  5,  6,  or  7  Bears  recorded  are  doubtless  accidental 
and  temporary  associations  of  two  families. 


'Ibid. 


^ 


Grizzly-bear  1041 

GrizzlJM  cough,  growl,  grunt,  roar,  and  sniff,  in  expreuion 
of  various  feelmgi.  Dr.  W.  T.  Hornaday,  writing  after  years 
of  experience  among  Bears  in  zoological  coll    tions,  says" 

••  I  have  learned  the  language  of  our  Bear     ufficiently  that 
whenever  I  hear  one  of  them  give  tongue  I  kn.   v  what  he  says 
I-  or  example :    In  warning  or  threatening  an  t  nemy,  the  Sloth- 
bear  says,    'Ach!    Ach !    Ach!'   and    th-     Grizzlv   sav> 
Jrl'.  "«{'  *'°°/''    ^  '""■™*  Bear  «,,,  'ZL^]-- 
call  IS   tw-wow-oo-oo-oof !'" 

But  the  Grizzly,  in  common  with  the  Blackbear,  has 
anothe  .neans  of  sending  tidings  to  others  of  its  race,  and  that 
IS  by  the  use  of  bear-trees  or  sign-posts.  The  remarks  on  the 
sign-posts  of  the  Blackbear  apply  equally  here.  So  far  as  I 
have  seen,  these  Bears  register  their  call  in  the  same  way." 

Hornaday,  however,  writing  on  the  subject,  says:" 

"On  those  trees  we  saw  where  several  of  the  rubbing 
Bears  had  bitten  the  trunk  high  up,  tearing  the  bark  open 
crosswise.  We  also  found,  on  some,  raking  claw-marks  across 
the  bark.  Charlie  Smith  said  that  the  tooth-marks  are  always 
made  by  the  Grizzlies  and  the  claw-marks  by  Blackbears  " 

The  only  difference  I  have  been  able  to  see  between  the 
marks  ;he  two  sp-ies  is  ihat  while  the  Grizzly  leaves  c  claw 
marks  at  each  f,  re,  the  Blackbear  commonly  leaves  but  4  for 
the  reason  thai    .  r,  :Trh  is  so  short  that  the  claw  often  misses. 

Grizzly-beak;  iC 
in  the  Central  Pa- 

Grizzly  (Monarch)  at  Golden  Gate  Park,    sn  '   .^acisco,  and 
his  wife  consummated  their  union  on  June  1^,  1904. 

Little  is  known  of  their  marrianrr  customs  in  a  state  of 
nature,  but  it  is  generally  nnceded  that  .hey  arc  not  promiscu- 
ous,  that  CH  e  male  mr,'  with  ..r-  female,  that  they  continue 
together  for  a  month  o,  mare,  then  part  for  good.  It  is  very 
doubtful  whether  any  of  the  sex  feeling  persists  after  the  waning 

»  Lwguage  of  Anim.!.,  N.  Y  Sunday  '.f»g«.nc,  June  aj.  ,90s.  p  7. 
See  p^  .06,^,.  „  c^  „.^^  Can  RockiV^  ^  p  159. 


INT-'-. 
fOMMU- 
MCA- 
TIOM 


1  midsummer.    A  pair  of  Grizzlies  mating 
New  York,  mated  >V  July.    The  old 


I.> 


GESTA- 
TION 


YOUNG 


1042        Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 

of  the  honeymoon.  The  pair,  if  they  meet  again,  may  accept 
each  other  as  friends,  but  not  as  mates.  Whether  they  reunite 
on  the  next  breeding  season  is  utterly  unknown. 

In  the  first  of  the  above-mentioned  cases  the  gestation 
lasted  a  little  over  6  months,  and  in  the  second  6  months  and 
4  days.  This,  strange  to  say,  is  a  month  less  than  in  the 
Blackbear  and  may  be  modified  by  shorter  hibernation  in  the 
Grizzly. 

My  notes  on  the  fiist  are  as  follows :  New  York,  Janur.ry  1 7, 
1901.    The  male  Grizzly  in  the  Central  Park  Zoo  was  brought 
here  in  -891 ;  the  female  in  1884.     Both  were  full  grown  when 
they  came.    Two  years  ago  they  produced  a  cub.    Last  year 
again  they  mated  in  July,  uniting  many  times.    To-day,  about 
11.20  A.  M.,  a  young  one  (a  female)  was  born.    (Vv^hether 
there  were  others  is  not  known.)     It  weighs   ij    pounds, 
is  8  J  inches  long  (216  mm.)  from  tip  of  tail  to  end  of  nose. 
It  is  blind  and  apparently   naked,  but  covered  with  very 
fine,  short,  gray  hair,  and  is  of  a  pale  pink  or  flesh  tint.    The 
ears  arc  low  and  the  openings  not  yet  visible.     It  s^  leals-like 
a  child  when  it  is  hungry,  and  is  very  restlcs-  nos  wg  about, 
falling  on  its  back,  and  screaming  in  temper.    It  began  to 
suck  its  dog  foster-mother  at  i  p.  m.,  when  i  hour  and  40 
minutes  old.   The  little  one  had  all  the  form  of  a  Grizzly— the 
shape  of  head,  the  hump  on  shoulders,  the  paws,  .he  lower 
jaw.     The  tail,  however,  was  proportionally  too  long  for  the 
adult.    The  mother  had  been  carrying  it  about  in  her  mouth. 
It  was  somewhat  scratched  and  bruised  by  her  teeth.     Of  this 
I  made  several  sketches.    It  died  a  few  days  later. 

The  second  case  was  in  San  Francisco.  On  June  19, 1904, 
Monarch,  the  old  Californian  Grizzly  at  the  Golden  Gate 
Park,  united  with  a  female  Rocky  Mountain  Grizzly.  On 
December  23  (6  months  and  4  days  later),  2  little  cubs  were 
born  in  the  cage.  They  were  kept  hidden  by  the  mother 
for  several  weeks.  They  are  now  (March  18)  nearly  3 
months  old  and  about  a  foot  high  at  the  shoulder.  They 
weigh,  I  should  think,  12  or  15  pounds,  are  very  pretty  and 


<  I 


1 
II 


1044        Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 


ii  ^ 


'!•; 


It 


playful.  Their  ground  colour  is  gray,  with  dark  ears,  feet,  and 
patch  around  eyes.  Already  they  eat  meat,  fruit,  bread,  etc. 
Their  mother  is  very  careful  of  them.  She  seemed  unwilling 
to  let  them  go  out  of  the  den,  but  they  got  past  her,  and  she 
followed.  As  we  fed  them  it  came  on  to  rain  very  heavily  and 
suddenly;  at  the  same  time  a  loud  slam  of  the  bars  alarmed  her. 
At  once  she  raked  and  cuffed  the  two  young  ones  under  her 
body,  then,  straddling  very  wide,  sheltered  them  from  the  rain 
and  guided  them  back  into  the  den.  She  often  uttered  a  sort 
of  choppy  coughing  sound  to  them. 

Sometimes  the  little  onto  put  their  paws  through  the  cage 
to  their  father.  He  would  sniff  at  the  paws  very  loudly  and 
utter  a  sort  of  short,  quick  "  koff,  koff,  kojf,  koff."  It  was  not  a 
menace,  as  he  offered  them  no  harm,  though  he  had  ample 
opportunity.  At  any  sudden  alarm  the  old  mother  reared  up 
on  her  hind-quarters  to  look  around. 

The  young  commonly  number  2,  rarely  3,  but  4  have  been 
noted  in  one  or  two  extraordinary  cases. 

Ordinarily,  they  are  born  in  the  mother's  winter  den, 
exactly  as  described  in  the  Blackbear.  They  are  suckled  all 
winter  in  the  den,  but  begin  to  eat  solid  food  as  soon  as  they 
can  get  it;  that  is,  after  they  have  begun  active  life  in  the  spring. 

Ordinarily,  they  pass  the  summer  with  their  mother  as  sole 
guardian,  but  there  seem  to  be  some  cases  in  which  the  father — 
that  is  an  interested  adult  male — has  joined  the  party. 

Catlin"  tells  of  a  male  and  female  Grizzly-bear  that,  ac- 
companied by  thfi  cubs,  came  into  his  camp  on  the  Missouri 
near  the  Yellowstone  Fork  and,  on  being  molested,  attacked 
him.  Evidently  it  was  in  the  height  of  summer.  Several 
instances  of  the  kind  are  on  record. 

It  is  commonly  agreed  that  the  young  Grizzlies  stay  with 
the  mother  till  winter,  and  that  all  den  up  during  the  coldest 
weather,  but  it  seems  uncertain  whether  on  this,  their  second 
winter,  mother  and  young  lie  up  in  the  same  den. 

It  is  probable  that  the  Grizzly  breeds  but  once  in  two 
years,  unless  the  young  are  destroyed  before  midsummer.     The 

"  Life  Among  the  Indians,  pp.  iaft-3i- 


i 


Grizzly-bear  1045 

young  are  able  to  shift  for  themselves  the  second  year  and  are 
supposed  to  breed  in  the  third. 

At  one  time  it  was  beheved  that  the  species  would  not 
breed  m  captivity,  but  we  are  better  informed  to-day  in  the 
handhng  of  cage-animals,  and  the  list  of  non-breeders  grows 


A^^Mk^Jl^ 


«"ii^^'"!:rJ^' 


^i"-^ 


?^^,"jU.>. 


less     Arthur    B.    Baker    says:"    "A    Grizzly-bear    in    one 
zoological  garden  produced,  in  ,.  litters,  22  cubs,  but  only  , 


was  reared." 


Sred^nrf,  ^^  "'  '^/'u^"'  ^^'^^'^'^  fighters  when  cor- 
nered.  Both  are  lovers  of  the  twilight,  but  travel  in  full  day  or 
black  night  on  occasions.  They  differ  in  this:  the  Blackbear 
rarely  quits  the  woods;  the  Grizzly  often  lives  permanentlyli, 

■•  Smitl«o„.    Ml«*l.  CoU.,  ,904.  No.  ,434,  p.  ,78. 


I' 


FOOD 


DENNING 


TRAILS 


1046        Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 

the  open  country.  The  Blackbear  is  much  at  home  in  the  trees, 
so  are  the  Grizzly  cubs,  but  adult  Grizzlies  do  not  climb. 
It  is  commonly  supposed  that  they  cannot,  but  Superintendent 
,A.  E.  Brown,  of  the  Philadelphia  Zoo,  assures  me  that  he  once 
saw  a  tame  adult  Grizzly  climb  a  smooth  telegraph-pole  to  the 
crosstrees.  It  had,  however,  to  be  greatly  urged  before  it 
would  make  the  attempt;  and  it  is  a  fact  that  the  wild  adult 
does  not  climb.  The  hunter  who  succeeds  in  getting  up  a  tree 
is  as  safe  from  a  Grizzly  as  from  a  bull. 

Though  omnivorous  in  food  habit,  the  Grizzly  is  more 
carnivorous  than  the  Blackbear.  Its  great  strength  enables 
it  even  to  master  the  range  steer  as  it  once  did  the  Buffalo. 
Some  individuals  are  much  more  given  to  meat  diet  than  others, 
and  such  have  become  veritable  nuisances  on  the  cattle-range 
near  their  head-quarters.  On  the  open  prairie  the  Grizzly  is 
said  to  feed  largely  on  the  prairie-turnip  (PsoraUa  esculenta) 
alternated  with  Ground-squirrels,  Gophers,  and  other  products 
of  the  soil.  For  procuring  these,  its  armed  feet  are  a  perfect 
combination  of  crane  and  crow-bar,  pick  and  shovel,  rake  and 
forceps. 

Like  the  elephant's  trunk,  their  mighty  force  in  heaving  a 
huge  log  or  boulder  is  only  equalled  by  their  manual  dexterity 
in  picking  up  eatable  mites.  I  have  seen  a  Grizzly  use  two 
claws  to  pick  up  small  objects,  exactly  as  a  Chinaman  might  use 
his  chopsticks.  I  have  noticed  further  that  it  never  uses  two 
claws  when  one  will  better  serve. 

Like  its  kin,  the  Grizzly  does  not  den  up  any  sooner  than 
it  can  help;  that  is,  it  roams  its  range  as  long  as  it  can  hnd  food. 

The  males  remain  active  longer  than  the  females,  and  in 
the  southern  part  of  the  range  they  do  not  den  up  at  all.  W.  H. 
Wright  is  of  the  opinion,  however,  that  in  Montana  the  denned- 
up  Grizzly  does  not  come  out  until  a  month  or  six  weeks  after 
the  Blackbear." 

This  Bear  also  has  fixed  pathways  through  the  woods  and 
over  difficult  places.   These  it  will  use  for  years,  till  they  are 

"  See  Note  13. 


\\ 


?SFt~W«Kf< 


I'l.MK    INNXIX,    -  "A   NARROW    KSCAl'K. 


III. 


l^mv  .m.l  l!n-  (Iri/^.iy. 


♦  5 

m       •     I 


ft 

!    ■ 


'^^Hf 

!  f 

i 

1; 

i 

1 

1 , 

:    ' 

i 

1 

■    ,L- 


m^ 


*ppP« 


Grizzly-bear 


1047 


deeply  worn.  In  going  up  a  bank  or  over  logs,  it  will  put  its 
feet  into  the  same  tracks  each  time  till  they  become  a  kind  of 
a  stairway.  The  bear-trails  in  the  Bitterroot  that  are  described 
in  the  Blackbear  chapter  were  undoubtedly  made  in  part  by 
the  numerous  Grizzlies  that  came  each  year  to  hook  out  the 
running  salmon. 

It  is  a  remarkable  fact  that  though  all  animals  make  and 
use  trails  more  or  less,  it  is  only  those  of  the  lower  order,  such  as 
rodents,  that  take  the  trouble  to  repair  or  improve  their  trails. 
If  a  tree  branch  falls  across  a  Rabbit  or  Beaver  trail,  it  is  cut 
in  two;  if  a  twig  grows  up,  it  is  nipped  off.  But  the  Bear,  the 
Wapiti,  and  the  Buffalo  take  no  such  trouble.  If  mere  wear 
will  improve  their  highway,  it  is  improved,  but  if  a  tree  fall 
across  it  or  a  self-rolled  stone  should  block  it,  the  lazy  giant 
goes  round  the  balk  and  strikes  out  a  second  trail. 

Those  who  form  their  idea  of  a  Bear's  speed  from  watching  speed 
a  hulking,  slouching  prisoner,  are  sure  to  be  amazed  at  the  real 
thing.  For  50  or  100  yards  a  Grizzly  can  go  as  fast  as  a  good 
horse,  and  in  rough  country  it  can  go  faster  than  any  horse  and 
keep  it  up  indefinitely.  It  is  weli  known  that  in  the  spring  of 
the  year  the  Indian  ponies  that  have  wintered  out  and  are  poor, 
very  commonly  become  the  prey  of  the  Grizzly,  who  can  now 
catch  them  on  the  open  plain.  Townsend"  tells  of  a  wounded 
Grizzly  that  pursued  closely  a  man  on  horseback,  for  half  a 
mile,  snapping  at  the  horse's  heels,  and  apparently  would  have 
captured  the  object  of  his  wrath  but  for  a  timely  volley  from  the 
man's  comrades. 

In  view  of  this,  it  will  be  seen  how  absurd  it  is  for  any  man 
to  think  he  may  escape  from  a  Grizzly  by  simply  running. 

This  species  is  a  good  iwimmer,  but  seems  less  ready  to  swim. 
take  to  the  wat<?r  than  is  the  Blackbear.  *^° 

The  strength  of  a  Grizzly-bear  is  as  might  be  expected  stuenot.i 
from  its  weight. 

"  Nar.  Joum.  Rocky  Mts.,  1839,  p.  68. 


1048        Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 


h»     f 


l) 


i  1. 


^  A 


SANITA- 
TION 


In  the  Yellowstone  Park,  I  was  witness  of  a  quarrel  be- 
tween a  Grizzly  and  a  very  large  Blackbear  (the  mother  of 
Johnny).  The  Grizzly,  with  a  blow  of  his  paw,  hurled  her 
some  sixteen  feet  against  a  pine  root  and  ended  all  her  desire 
for  martial  glory.  Cattlemen  everywhere  attest  that  a  Grizzly 
can  carry  off  the  carcass  of  a  steer,  which  means  that  it  can,  and 
does  occasionally,  drag  it  half  a  mile  or  more.  Similar  in- 
stances are  on  record  where  the  carcass  was  that  of  a  full-grown 
Buffalo.  The  New  Mexican  cowboys  who  described  to  me 
the  scene  which  I  used  in  the  lassoing  of  "  Monarch,"  said  that 
on  that  occasion  one  blow  of  the  Bear's  paw  disabled  a  horse. 
The  various  incidents  of  Grizzly  strength  that  are  used  in  my 
stories  of  Wahb  and  Monarch  are  gathered  from  life  and 
authenticated  by  numberless  witnesses 

In  addition  to  its  muscular  strength,  the  Grizzly  is  tenacious 
of  life.  It  can  and  will  fight  with  wounds  in  all  non-vital  parts, 
and,  for  the  reason  that  its  vitals  are  well  protected,  it  is  hard  to 
kill.  Nevertheless,  a  shot  throagh  the  heart  will  drop  it  within 
a  few  yards,  and  a  shot  in  the  spine  or  brain  will  down  it 
finally  on  the  spot.  But  it  will  be  seen  how  little  chance  of 
success  against  the  Grizzly  had  the  Indian  armed  with  bow  and 
lance,  or  even  with  musket  and  flintlock  gun.  No  wonder, 
then,  that  a  claw-necklace  from  a  Grizzly  of  one's  own  killing 
was  the  outward  and  visible  sign  of  valour  extraordinary,  and 
worn  with  becoming  pride.  This,  it  will  be  remembered, 
was  one  of  the  greatest  exploits  of  the  hero  Hiawatha.  He 
went  to  the  far  Westward,  there  he  dubbed  and  killed  the 
mighty  Mishe-mokwa,  and  returned  with  the  necklet  ^rophy 
of  claws. 

The  species  has  not  gone  far  in  the  evolution  of  sanitation. 
At  best  it  keeps  its  den  clear  of  excrement.  In  Colorado,  I 
found  that  a  certain  fly  propagates  in  this  Bear's  dung.  The 
Grizzly  is  even  fonder  of  a  mud-bath  than  the  Blackbear.  Its 
wallows  are  found  wherever  the  Gnzzly  roams.  They  no 
doubt  offer  protection  from  the  mosquitoes  and  also,  when  hot 
weather  and  shedding  time  arrive  together  to  produce  a  general 


semsm 


iHM 


Grizzly- bear 


1049 


sense  of  prickly  heat  and  discomfort,  the  cooling,  healing  mud 
of  the  bath  furnishes  a  most  delicious  relief. 

The  incidents  of  the  sulphur  bath  in  Wahb  and  the  final 
scene  in  Death  Gulch  are  founded  on  fact.  Death  Gulch,  on 
the  eastern  side  of  Yellowstone  Park,  was  examined  by  Pro- 
fessor T.  A.  Jagger,  of  the  United  States  Geological  Survey,  in 
July,  1897.  The  deadly  gas  in  it  turned  out,  as  was  expected, 
to  be  carbonic  dioxide.  When  Professor  Jagger  entered  the 
valley,  there  was  the  body  of  an  old  silver-tipped  Grizzly  lying 
in  the  quietest  corner  among  many  bones  and  bleaching  skele- 
tons. It  had  not  been  there  many  hours,  and  there  was  every 
evidence  that  this  was  the  latest  victim  of  the  poisonous 
gas. 

The  mentality  of  the  Grizzly  is  far  inferior  to  that  of  dog  men- 
or  Wolf.  But  its  powers  of  scent  and  hearing  are  so  exquisite,  "^""^ 
and  its  ability  to  travel  fast,  far,  silently  and  unseen,  so  great, 
that,  once  it  has  learned  the  danger  of  rashness,  it  shapes  its  life 
behaviour  on  lines  that  look  like  profound  sagacity.  There 
are,  moreover,  great  individual  variations.  The  stupid  Griz- 
zlies are  ear.y  weeded  out  by  the  hunters,  and  the  ten-times 
sifted  remnant  are  the  wisest  of  the  wise  in  their  kind. 

It  is  common  saying  in  the  West  that  a  Grizzly  is  a  most 
unreliable  animal.  You  never  know  what  it  is  going  to  do 
next,  but  you  may  be  very  sure  it  is  going  to  be  quick  about  it. 

Cattle-killing  Grizzlies  are  rare  now,  but  undoubtedly  cattle- 
e\ist.    The  following  instances  related  to  me  by  Edward  C.  "^^^ 
Rus  ell,  attorney,  of  Helena,  Mont.,  shed  interesting  light  on 
their  habits: 

About  1880,  Grizzlies  were  very  numerous  in  the  country 
sonu'  60  miles  south  of  Helena.  They  used  to  come  in  there 
for  the  berries,  but  would  occasionally  kill  cattle.  When  a 
beef  was  thus  killed,  Russell  used  to  sit  up  over  it  in  a  tree. 
The  Bears  used  to  come  sniffing  up  the  wind  and  when  50 
yards  down  from  him  could  smell  him,  but  when  they  got  nearer 
the  scent  seemed  to  go  over  their  heads.    They  were  puzzled 


r^ 


Ml 


^  : 


% 


■'I 


1030        Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 

and  would  go  back,  get  it  again,  an  '  work  u^'  nearer,  to  lose  it 
once  more. 

One  night  a  'arge  Silvci-tip  came  to  th«*  carcass.  The 
watcher  was  ten  feet  up  a  small  cotton-wood.  The  Bear  smelt 
him  and  came  sniffing  up  the  wind  for  some  time  to  find  him, 
but  each  ime  h>-.t  the  trace  as  he  got  near.  Several  times  this 
happened.  Then,  in  determination  to  find  his  foe,  he  bi„  n  to 
break  down  the  brush  around.  He  would  smash  down  a 
thicket  with  great  uproar  and  then  remain  as  still  as  death  to 
see  if  the  man  was  flushed;  then  another,  and  again  a  wait. 
Sometimes  he  would  wait  for  3  or  4  minutes  without  a  move. 
In  this  way  he  flattened  all  the  brush  for  an  acre  about  the 
hunter  and  the  carcass,  but  the  night  was  so  dark  that  there 
was  no  opportunity  for  a  shot. 

Another  time  a  cow  was  killed  by  a  Grizzly,  dragged  half- 
way across  the  river,  and  then  left  lying  in  the  water;  50  yards 
away  was  a  high  cut-bank  covered  with  brush.  It  was  not  on 
the  usual  trail  of  the  Bears,  and  as  they  could  not  climb  up  the 
face,  Russell  decided  to  hide  there  and  shoot  from  it.  On 
getting  ready  to  go,  however,  he  found  that  he  had  but  one 
cartridge,  and  so  gave  it  up.  Next  morning  he  learned  tiu ;  the 
Grizzly  had  come,  but  before  feasting  was  careful  to  break 
down  all  the  brush  on  this  commanding  point,  so  that  had  the 
man  been  there  he  would  certainly  have  fallen  into  the  power 
of  the  Bear. 

PASSING  But  the  cattle-killer  is  vanishing  just  as  surely  as  the 

buffalo-killing  Grizzly  is  gone.  A  great  shrinkage  of  the  Big 
Bear's  range  is  seen  to-day,  and  a  wonderful  change  in  the 
Bear  himself.  All  the  old  travellers  from  Lewis  and  Clark  to 
those  of  forty  years  ago  aver  that  the  Grizzly  had  little  fear  of 
man,  and  ofttimes  claimed  and  received  from  him  the  right 
of  way.  But  we  have  lived  to  see  another  mind  in  the  Range- 
king;  we  see  in  him  now  the  exemplar  of  an  ancient  law — the 
beasts  are  shy  in  proportion  to  their  bigness  that  is  really  in 
measure  of  man's  eagerness  to  add  them  to  his  bag.  The 
Mouse  will  let  you  walk  up  within  a  few  yards,  will  even  run 


-«s.^ass: 


J»«. 


V  J¥ 


PLATE  Xr.— DEATH  CUI.rH. 
Fiom  photnmph  bjr  Pre*.  T.  .\.  J«gg»r.  Jr..  Juir  iHoj. 


PIATF.  XCl.— THE  OLD  C.tVUtV  IN  DEATH  OOLCH. 
From  photetraph  by  Pre*.  T.  A.  laocr,  Jr..  July.  ig„. 


'i' 


i   v-' 


It'  I  i 


Grizzly-bear 


1051 


oyer  your  foot  if  you  are  still;  the  Moose  will  flee  on  the 
slightest  intimation  that  man  is  within  a  mile.  And  the 
Grizzly,  too,  accepts  the  common  creed.  No  longer  the  arro- 
gant despot  of  all  trails  and  ranges,  he  has  retreated  to 
secluded  fastnesses,  to  wild  and  inaccessible  regions  of  thicket 
and  swamp.  He  is  changed  in  temper  as  in  life,  and  the 
faintest  whiff  of  man-scent  is  now  enough  to  drive  him  miles 
away. 

And  what  is  it  that  has  made  this  change?— that  has 
turned  the  heart  of  the  mountain  terror  and  made  him  shyer 
than  ever  fawn  or  hai  e  ?  The  educating  force  was  modern  guns. 
Repeating  rifles  have  instilled  the  idea  that  man  is  master- 
omnipotent,  merciless — therefore  shun  the  onset  they  can  end 
in  only  one  way.  The  fallen  monarch  is  become  a  fugitive 
in  his  own  kingdom.  In  many  parts  of  the  country,  particularly 
the  south  and  east,  his  kind  is  extinct.  In  a  little  while  he  will 
have  left  the  United  States,  or  will  continue  only  as  a  pensioner 
in  the  Yellowstone  Park.  And  I,  for  one,  would  gladly  see  the 
total  abolition  of  all  bounty  laws  on  the  Grizzly's  head.  I 
should  welcome  a  movement  to  prevent  his  extinction.  His 
day  and  sceptre  are  gone;  right  well  he  knows  that;  he  is 
harmless  now,  and  is,  moreover,  a  magnificent  animal,  whose 
extinction  would  be  just  such  a  loss  to  zoology  as  the  destruc- 
tion of  St.  Peter's  would  be  to  the  world  of  art. 


\  k. 


!       '! 


\?    i 


i  f>  1 1  • ,  I 


XLVII. 

Common  Blackbear,  American  Blackbear,  or 
Cinnamon  Bear. 

Ursus  americanus  Pallas. 
(L.  Vrstu,  a  bear;  L.  americanus,  American.) 

Ursus   americanus   Pallas,   1780,  Spicil.  Zobl.   Fasc.  XIV, 

^'  ^Type  Locality.— Eastern  North  America. 

French  Canadian,  VOurs  noir,  VOurs  d'Amerique. 
Cree,  Kus-kit-tay'  Mus-kwa'  (Blackbear);  Sau-wts 

Mus-kwa'  (Yellow  or  Brown-bear). 
Saut.,  Mak-a-ta/  Muk-wa'. 
OjlB.,  Mah-kay-tay'  May-kwa'. 
Chipewyan,  Sass.  ^ 

Yankton  Sioux,  Wah-conk-seach  Sa-pa. 
Ogallala  Sioux,  Mafc-to'-«.afc  hay.  See'-cha  (Blzck- 

b<-ar),  Mah-to'-ho'-tah  (Brown-bear). 

The  Blackbear  has  the  characteristics  of  the  genus  as  set 
forth  already,  and  is  further  distinguished  by  the  short-cumd 
claws  on  its  front  feet  and  the  straight  profile  of  the  skull. 
Besides  these,  its  peculiarities  of  dentition,  size,  and  colour  are 

''^"^A  faSz'e^d  and  fat  she  Bear  shot  in  Colorado  measured 
as  follows:    Snout  to  tail-tip,  bz\  inches  (1,613  mm.);  tail,  5 
inches  (127  mm.);  hind-foot,  ^\  inches  (184  mm.);  height  at 
shoulders,  25*  inches  (6+8  mm.).    It  weighed  227^  pounds. 
«xiGHT  A  large  male  Cinnamon  Bear  killed  by  J.  H.  Cadham,  25 

miles  south-east  of  Winnipeg,  weighed  265  pounds;  200  pounds 

1052 


SIZE 


!\      , 


Blackbear  io5s 

may  be  considered  a  medium-sized  northern  Blackbear;   tioo 
pounds  a  very  large  one. 

In  Florida,  however,  this  animal  attains  much  greater 
size.    Charles  B.  Cory,  Director  of  Field  Museum,  teUs  me 


Fic.4»-P»iiicf.  Urge  BlaAbMT,  right  hind  iBdrifht  fore.    iSumm^.) 

that  he  killed  a  comparatively  small  Floridian  female  that 
weighed  350  pounds,  a  male,  411  pounds,  and  a  large  male. 
5J2  pounds.  ' 

Audubon  and  Bachman  give'  the  following  dimensions  of 
a  very  large  specimen: 

From  nose  to  root  of  tail,  6  feet  5  inches  (1,957  mm.); 
height  to  top  of  shoulder,  3  feet  i  inch  (940  mm.). 

The  typical  Blackbear  of  Eastern  America  is  deep,  glossy  colour 
black  everywhere,  excepting  the  muzzle,  which  is  more  or  less 
brown,  and  the  white  spot  sometimes  seen  on  the  breast.  As 
one  nears  the  Mississippi,  various  shades  of  cinnamon  brown 
are  found,  and  m  the  Rocky  Mountains  fully  a  quarter  of  the 
Bears  are  of  the  Cinnamon  variety.  This  difference  of  colour, 
'  Q.  N.  A.,  1849,  Vol.  ra,  p.  188. 


Blackbear  io5s 

may  be  considered  a  mcdium-sized  northern  Blackbear;   200 
pounds  a  very  large  one. 

In  Florida,  however,  this  animal  attains  much  greater 
size.    Charles  B.  Cory,  Director  of  Field  Museum,  tells  me 


FH;.4.-P»«icf.  Urge  BlaAbMT,  right  hind  indrifhtfoit.    (5, 

that  he  killed  a  comparatively  small  Floridian  female  that 
weighed  350  pounds,  a  male,  411  pounds,  and  a  large  male. 
5J2  pounds.  ' 

Audubon  and  Bachman  give'  the  following  dimensions  of 
a  very  large  specimen: 

From  nose  to  root  of  tail,  6  feet  5  inches  (1,957  mm.); 
height  to  top  of  shoulder,  3  feet  i  inch  (940  mm.). 

The  typical  Blackbear  of  Eastern  America  is  deep,  glossy  coloue 
black  everywhere,  excepting  the  muzzle,  which  is  more  or  less 
brown,  and  the  white  spot  sometimes  seen  on  the  breast.  As 
one  nears  the  Mississippi,  various  shades  of  cinnamon  brown 
are  found,  and  in  the  Rocky  Mountains  fully  a  quarter  of  the 
Bears  are  of  the  Cinnamon  variety.    This  difference  of  colour, 

'  Q.  N.  A.,  1849,  Vol.  in,  p.  188. 


■HMi 


k* 


f  { 

i 

i       if     H 


fi^';f 


I 


. 


I- ' 


II 


1054        Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 

however,  does  not  mean  a  difference  of  species;  they  are  mere 
freaks  or  sports  of  the  black  race.  A  Blackbear  may  have 
cinnamon  young  this  year  and  black  the  next,  or  even  one  of 
each  kind  in  the  same  Htter.  So  also  a  Cinnamon  mother 
may  give  birth  to  either  Black  or  Cinnamon  young. 

This  was  very  well  known  to  the  hunters  one  hundred 
years  ago.  Alexander  Henry,  writing  his  'Journal'  on  Dead 
River,  which  flows  into  the  Red  above  Winnipeg,  says:' 

"August  II,  1808.  Late  this  evening,  while  the  Indians 
were  still  drinking,  there  arrived  a  party  of  young  men  \s '  o 
had  been  hunting  en  canot  up  Dead  River;  they  brought 
some  fresh  meat,  including  that  of  a  large  Blackbear  and  her 
two  cubs,  one  of  which  was  brown  and  the  other  perfectly 
black.  This  is  frequently  the  rase.  I  once  saw  a  Black- 
bear killed  early  in  the  spring  whose  two  cubs  were  taken 
ali  »;  one  of  them  was  cinnamon  and  the  oth  r  black. 
Both  were  kept  at  the  Fort  for  a  long  time  and  became 
perfectly  tame." 

In  M^-.nitoba,  I  suppose,  about  one  in  twenty  Blackbears 
is  a  cinnamon.  I  saw  a  remarkable  specimen  in  the  collection 
of  H.  C.  Nead,  of  Dauphin,  a  very  pale  straw-nloured  Bear 
with  chocolate-coloured  face  and  legs;  yet  it  was  clearly  of  the 
Blackbear  species. 

N.  E.  Skinner  tells  me  that  two  young  Bears  were  found 
in  a  den  at  Carberry,  Man.,  about  1895.  One  of  them  was  a 
cinnamon,  the  other  black  with  brownish-gray  muzzle. 

A  different  colour  variety  is  the  albino,  or  pure  white 
freak.  Alexander  Henry  thus  records  a  case  on  the  Red 
River  :* 

"October  13,  1800.  Two  Indians  were  with  him,  Na- 
naundeyea  and  Grosse  Loge;  they  had  made  no  hunt  as  yet. 
One  of  them  a  few  d^ys  ago  saw  a  full-grown  Bear  as  white 
as  snow.  His  gun  missed  fire  and  the  Bear  escaped.  He 
assured  me  that  it  was  not  the  Grizzly,  but  the  common 
kind." 

*  Journal,  A.  Henry  (1799-1814),  pub.  1897,  p.  449. 
•Journal,  1897,  P-  "8. 


fi 


I 


PLATE  XCU. — SK0LL  OF  BLACKBEAR. 

(Vrsus  americanus.) 
Cut  supplied  by  Ihe  V.  S.,  Biol.  Surv.  from  N.  A.  Fauna,  No.  31,  p.  30. 


I'     » 

■   \ 


M 


\  'I  I' 


II'  * 


'i: 


id* 


Blackbear 
The  following  forms  are  recognized: 


1055 


americanus  Pallas,  the  typical  form. 

sornborgeri  Bangs,  "skull  smaller,  shorter,  broader," 

etc.  (colour  unknown). 
carlot*x  Osgood,  a  large  race  with  skull  longer  than 

in  americanus  and  teeth  larger  and  heavier,  etc.; 

said  to  be  glossy  black. 
eremicus  Merriam,  a  brown-nosed,  black-furred  race 

with  brown  under-fur,  slender  muzzle,  and  naked 

nose-pad  very  long. 
flori Janus  Merriam,  very  large  and  wholly  black. 
luteolus  Griffith,  a  very  large  form  with  large  teeth. 
altifrontalis  Elliot. 
hylodromus  Elliot. 
machetes  Elliot. 
emmonsi  Dall,  a  brown-nosed  black  Bear  of  small 

size,  frosted  or  silver-tipped,  with  white  on  the 

neck  and  body. 

To  complete  the  list  of  small  Bears  found  in  North  Amer- 
ica, we  need  add  only  Ursus  kermodei  Hornaday,  a  pure  white 
species  recently  found  in  British  Columbia.  It  is  related  to  the 
Blackbear,  but  is  a  smaller  form. 

Life-history. 

The  ran^c       •    ,  species  and  its  various  races  is  set  forth  range 
in  Map  No.  5^  with  fair  accuracy.    On  the  north  and  west  it  is 
limited  only  by  the  limit  of  trees.     On  the  south  it  will  doubtless 
be  found  farther  than  I  have  yet  been  able  to  trace  it. 

In  Manitoba  it  is  of  general  distribution,  but  most  plentiful 
in  the  poplar  belt  from  Pembina  to  Pelly. 

How  are  we  to  form  any  idea  of  the  primitive  and  present  abon- 
Blackbear  population?    The  material  at  hand  is  far  from 
satisfactory,  but  such  as  it  is  I  give  it. 


^ 


I   4 


ii 


i:^ 


\'[ 


1056        Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 

Hcarnc  says*  that  Blackbears  were  "so  numerous  in  the 
country  between  York  Fort  and  Cumberland  House  that  in 
[June]  1774  I  saw  1 1  killed  in  the  course  of  one  day's  journey." 

As  many  as  30  Bears  have  been  killed  in  one  year  in  Lewis 
County,  N.  Y.,  about  300  square  miles  (according  to  Merriam* ), 
and  the  inference  is  that  this  was  unusually  high — moreover, 
we  know  now  that  it  was  too  much  for  their  numbers  to  stand. 

I  reckon  that  an  animal  breeding  so  slowly  as  the  Bear 
could  not  stand  a  greater  drain  by  man  than  10  per  cent,  per 
annum,  therefore  Lewis  County  must  have  had  a  Bear  pop- 
ulation of  considerably  less  than  300.  Yet  this  was  considered 
an  abundance. 

Throughout  the  last  quarter  of  the  nineteenth  century 
the  Hudson's  Bay  Company  exported  about  7,000  bear-skins 
each  year,  and  the  other  fur  companies  about  the  same,  an 
aggregate  of  14,000  bear-skins.  But  we  know  that  thousands 
are  killed  when  the  hides  are  not  worth  shipping,  and  half  of 
those  taken  are  used  or  misused  by  the  natives,  therefore  30,000 
will  more  nearly  represent  the  annual  kill  on  an  area  of  about 
5,000,000  square  miles.  As  during  the  time  cited  the  supply 
has,  apparently,  not  dwindled,  it  implies  at  least  300,000  Bears, 
one  to  every  16  square  miles. 

This  I  suspect  is  very  near  the  truth  to-day,  although 
there  are  reasons  for  believing  that  in  ancient  times  they  were 
more  numerous. 


m 


1: . 


f 


FLUCTU- 
ATION 


A  study  of  the  fur  returns  shows  that  the  Bear  population 
rises  and  falls  as  does  that  of  most  species.  Roderick  Mac- 
Farlane  calls  my  attention  to  this,  but  cannot  satisfy  himself  of 
the  reason.  He  mentions,  to  cast  doubt  on,  epidemics  and 
migration,  then  adds:* 

"There  are  other  circumstances  also,  such  as  an  un- 
favourable season  for  breeding,  a  scarcity  of  the  required  food, 
and  the  destruction  by  fire  of  extensive  areas  of  forest,  which 
would,  of  course,  more  or  less  affect  the  abundance  of  these 


'Journey,  1795,  p.  370. 
'  In  personal  letter. 


•  Mam.  Adir.,  1884,  P-  103- 


MAP  s6-RAlfGE  OF  THE  AMERICAN  BL    CKBEARS  AND  THEIR  NEAR  KIN 


1057 


Bailey, 


y« 


HOME 
RANGE 


MIGRA- 
TION 


TRAILS 


\'t 


1038       Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 

and  other  species  of  animals  in  certain  localities.  A  very 
lingering  spring,  for  instance,  would  compel  Bears  to  leave 
their  winter  '  washes ''  while  snow  was  still  on  the  ground,  and 
thus  enable  the  Indians  to  track  and  kill  more  than  would 
otherwise  be  possible." 

The  individual  Bear  is  a  wide  ranger.  Mittigwab, 
Indian  guide  of  Mattawa,  tells  me  that  he  several  times  fol- 
lowed a  big  Bear  on  a  round  of  1 5  miles  from  its  home.  I  find 
it  the  opinion  of  trappers  in  general  that  adult  Bears  when  foot- 
loose will  range  about  this  distance.  A  mother  Bear,  with  very 
young  cubs,  is,  of  course,  more  of  a  stay-at-home. 

The  hunters  generally  agree  that  the  Blackbear  migrates. 
Bachman,  ^peaking  apparently  for  the  Carolinas,  says:^  "In 
hard  winters  [it]  is  found  to  move  southerly  in  considerable 
numbers,  although  not  in  company." 

It  is  a  common  experience  to  find  Blackbears  suddenly 
numerous  where  a  few  months  before  they  were  rare,  but  what 
the  nature  and  extent  of  this  migration  is,  or  whether  regular  in 
time  or  direction,  I  have  not  yet  been  able  to  determine. 

All  animals  have  a  tendency  to  form  beaten  roads  or 
trails  in  their  home-region— this  trail  to  the  water,  that  to  a 
favourite  feeding  ground,  etc.  The  heavier  the  animal  the 
more  marked  the  trail  becomes.  The  pathway  of  a  Ground- 
squirrel  through  the  prairie  grass  may  be  nearly  invisible  to  us, 
but  he  pathways  of  Buffalo  and  Wapiti  are,  as  we  have  seen, 
open  and  well-worn  highways  that  serve  mankind  as  they  serve 
the  beast  that  made  them. 

The  present  species  is  no  exception  to  the  rule.  In  all 
parts  of  the  country  where  Bears  are  numerous  they  have 
well-placed,  well-worn  pathways,  which  are  adhered  to  by  the 
race  with  precision  that  justifies  the  pioneer  Bears  which  first 
searched  out  ind  blazed  them  as  the  best  and  safest  roads 
from  this  to  that  inviting  land  of  promise. 

'  C/.  Beaver,  p.  460,  foot-note. 

'  Quad.  N.  A.,  1849,  Vol.  Ill,  p  196. 


i  I 


Blackbcar  1059 

There  is  abundance  of  testimony  for  this.    L.  Allen  tays:» 
"I  have  noticed  that  Bears  a.e  methodical  ir  their  habits 
always  following  their  own  trail  until  their  .racks  are  deep 
depressions  in  the  ground." 

After  telling  of  a  long  hunt  through  the  snow  after  three 
Bears,  C.  Wasgatt  adds-  "All  this  time  the  Bears  had 
walked  m  the  track  made  by  the  leader." 

In  detailing  the  methods  of  a  successful  Bear  trapper,  J.  B. 
Burnham  says  :'•  "  Bear-trails  in  places  are  well-defined  paths. 
*  *  •  In  passing  over  these  trails  the  Bears  step  in  each  other's 
foot-prmts,  and  if  one  Bear  fifty  years  ago  crossed  .  log  at  a 
certam  spot,  every  Bear  that  followed  is  morally  certain  to  have 
chosen  the  same  place.  Moi cover,  they  never  deviate  from 
the  exact  hnc  of  their  trail  if  it  is  in  any  way  possible  to  avoid 
leavmg  it.  Knowing  these  facts,  Guy  never  baits  his  traps.  In 
settmg  them  he  has  two  considcratir«n.«  to  keep  in  mind— first 
placmg  the  trap  where  a  man  will  not  set  his  foot  in  it,  and' 
second,  where  a  Bear  will.  ' 

"On  the  Twin  Pond  runway  he  found  a  spot  where  a 
small  spruce  tree  had  grown  up  directly  in  the  Bear's  path 
A  man  would  step  to  one  side  to  pass  this  if  he  happened  to 
be  following  the  Bear's  route,  but  the  Bears  themselveo,  on 
account  of  their  conservatism,  preferred  to  go  under  the  low 
reaching  boughs." 

To  this  I  can  add  my  own  corroborative  experience  in 
the  Rocky  Mountains.  Where  the  Bears  abound,  the  whole 
country  is  laid  out  in  trails  that  are  the  outcome  of  necessity 
in  a  rough  country,  and  knowledge  of  the  best  sources  of  *up 
plies.  They  differ  from  human  trails  only  in  that  the  f.>»r 
'"'"^fk?°  *^°"  *°  improve  the  road;  it  merely  ><  cts  the  Le^i 
available.  In  this  particular  many  rodents  are  in  advance  of 
their  betters. 

In  some  regions  where  I  have  camped— the  Bitterroots 
tor  example— where  the  forests  on  the  bottom  lands  are  par- 

•  Recreation  Magazine,  Apiil,  1900,  p.  305. 
»  Maine  Sportsman,  October,  1900,  p.  12. 
"  Forest  and  Stream,  January  7, 1899,  P-  3- 


1  : 


[li  \ 


SOCIA- 
BILITY 


INTER- 
COMMU- 
NICA- 
TION 


1060       Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 

ticularly  dense,  and  the  bear-trails  are  exceedingly  numerous; 
not  only  are  they  the  best  routes,  they  are  the  only  possible 
routes.  If  you  are  in  search  of  the  things  those  Bears  sought — 
berries,  fish,  water,  or  pleasant  open  hillsides,  breeze-swept  of 
flies — your  part  of  wisdom  is  to  follow  the  bear-trail.  It  was 
made  during  generations  of  search  for  these  same  joys  of 
life,  by  those  who  were  past  masters  of  the  road  and  had 
sought  out  all  the  most  delectable  spots  in  the  hills. 

The  bear-trail  differs  from  the  wapiti-trail  in  several 
ways:  first,  it  is  deficient  in  head-room,  unpleasantly  low  for  a 
man;  second,  it  always  runs  along  a  fallen  trunk,  if  such  be 
in  the  line;  third,  it  crosses  a  stream  by  a  log  in  preference  to 
a  ford. 

It  is  well  to  remember  further  that  in  a  bear-trail  there  is 
always  danger  of  a  bear-trap. 

The  Blackbear  is  essentially  a  solitary  animal.  Occasion- 
ally a  number  of  them  have  been  seen  together,  but  these 
gatherings  were  either  for  the  purpose  of  mating  or  were  a 
family  of  grown-up  young  ones  with  their  mother.  Nine  out 
of  ten  grown-up  Bears  will  be  found  leading  solitary  lives. 

The  Blackbear  has  a  long  list  of  vocal  sounds  to  express 
his  feelings  to  others  of  his  kind.  Besides  the  growl  of  anger 
and  loud  cough  of  menace,  they  have  whining  calls  and  sniffs 
of  many  sorts,  also  a  number  of  bawls  expressing  rage  or  pain. 

But  a  still  more  curious  outburst  of  intercommunication  is 
recoKled  in  the  following  extract  from  Audubon  and  Bachman:" 

"At  one  season  the  Bear  may  be  seen  examining  the  lower 
part  of  the  trunk  of  a  tree  for  several  minutes  with  much 
attention,  at  the  same  time  looking  around  and  snuffing  the  air. 
It  then  rises  on  its  hind-legs,  approaches  the  trunk,  embraces 
it  with  the  fore-legs,  and  scratches  the  bark  with  its  teeth  and 
claws  for  several  minutes  in  continuance.  Its  jaws  clash  against 
each  other  until  a  mass  of  foam  runs  down  on  both  sides  of  the 
mouth.    After  this  it  continues  its  rambles." 

-  Aud.  &  Bach.,  Quad.  N.  A.,  Vol.  Ill,  p.  189. 


bi: 


1 


Blackbear  loei 

In  this  connection,  Merriam  says:"  "In  traversing  un- 
frequented portions  of  the  [Adirondack]  wilderness  one  occa- 
sionaUy  meets  with  a  tree  whose  bark  has  been  scratched  and 
torn  at  some  httle  height  from  the  ground,  in  a  manner  that 
cannot  fail  to  excite  his  attention  and  surprise.  This  is  the 
work  of  the  Bear,  but  the  object  of  it  is  not  known.  Hunters 
claim  that  whenever  a  Bear  passes  one  of  these  trees  he  stops 
stands  ,.r.  his  hmd-legs,  and  gnaws  and  scratches  it  before 
resuming  his  journey.  The  only  account  of  the  strange  pro- 
ceedmg  that  I  have  seen  is  given  by  Audubon  and  Bachman  " 
But  the  fact  is  widely  known  among  hunters,  as  the  fol- 
lowing  extracts  show: 

"Why  [says  L.  Allen  "]  do  Bears  leave  their  teeth  marks 
across  a  tree  or  a  sapling,  as  high  as  they  can  reach,  standing 
on  hind-legs  ?  The  highest  marks  are  always  freshest.  Is  it 
the  same  Bear  that  makes  the  higher  mark,  to  see  how  much 
he  has  grown,  or  another  Bear  who  can  go  him  that  much 
better  ? 

"Bears  bite  trees  all  through  the  summer.  I  think  they 
do  that  to  see  who  is  the  tallest  one.  Only  he  Bears  bite  trees. 
1  hey  bite  them  along  their  roads,  and  the  one  that  makes  the 
tallest  marks  bosses  the  road.  After  you  kill  the  big  one  you 
don  t  see  another  he  Bear  for  a  long  time  on  that  road.  She 
Bears  pass  any  time."" 

"  In  the  running  season,  which  is  at  its  height  in  Tune,  the 
Bears  blaze  ,t  [the  bear-trail]  by  biting  trees,  each  leaving  his 
mark  as  high  up  as  he  can  reach."" 

r-r^*''"  Bear-trees  are  described  in  the  "Biological  Survey 
ot  lexas  by  Vernon  Bailey,  who  writes:"  "Near  one  of  the 
trails  m  the  head  of  Dog  Canyon  in  the  Guadalupe  Mountains 
a  Douglas  spruce  a  foot  in  diameter  had  served  for  many  years 
as  a  gnawing  tree,  while  further  up  the  gulch  a  larger  yellow 
pme  was  well  blazed  and  deeply  scarred  by  many  old  and  a 

"  Mam.  Adir.,  1884,  pp.  loi-a 

"  \  ^R  '  \^*  ^r***"^  ^"'•'  R«*'«»tion  Magazine,  April,  1900,  p.  305 
..  {■  n  ■  ^""l*'am.  Forest  and  Stream,  March  i8,  1899,  p.  208.     '^'  *^  •*  ^■ 
•>  i;   ;  ?,""'"*'"'  f  o"**'  and  Stream,  January  7,  1899,  P-  3- 
"  N.  A.  Fauna,  No.  25, 1905,  p.  188.  '  "   °^' V  i- 


1062        Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 


■  \ 


few  new  gashes  of  powerful  teeth.  In  the  Davis  Mountains, 
on  the  ridge  just  north  of  Livermore,  a  yellow  pine  a  foot  and  a 
half  through  has  served  as  a  bear-register  for  apparently  ten 
or  twenty  years.  It  was  deeply  scarred  on  all  sides,  from  4  to 
6  feet  from  the  ground,  but  on  one  side,  from  5  to  6  feet  up,  the 
bark  had  long  been  cut  away,  and  the  dry  weathered  wood  was 
splintered  and  gashed  with  deep  grooves  of  various  ages.  Two 
fresh  sets  of  tooth-prints  showed  on  opposite  sides  of  the  tree 
near  the  top  of  the  ring,  and  one  little  Bear  had  lately  tried  his 
teeth  in  the  green  bark  about  4  feet  from  the  ground.  At  the 
head  of  a  gulch  on  the  east  side  of  Limpia  Creek  stood  another 
big  yellow  pine  that  had  been  similarly  treated,  and  on  it,  as  on 
the  others,  the  upper  limit  of  reach  was  about  6  feet  from  the 
ground.  Apparently  the  Bear  at  each  visit  to  one  of  these 
register  trees  had  given  but  a  single  bite,  leaving  the  marks  of 
an  opposing  pair  of  canines." 

Finally,  I  can  add  my  own  testimony.  I  have  seen  many, 
yes  hundreds,  of  these  bear-trees,  chiefly  in  the  Rocky  Moun- 
tains. They  are  always  by  some  well-worn  pathway  or  trail 
of  the  Bears,  and  are  made  and  used  by  Bears  of  all  species. 

What  is  their  meaning  and  purpose  ?  For  it  is  very  cer- 
tain that  such  a  remarkable  and  universal  Bear  habit  must  have 
some  good  object. 

I  think  there  can  be  no  doubt,  as  I  have  elsewhere  and 
years  ago  said  in  print,  that  these  are  Bear  'sign-boards,' 
methods  of  communicating  certain  information  to  the  Bears. 
They  answer,  I  believe  firmly,  the  same  purpose  as  the  urinary 
signal  posts  of  dogs.  Wolves,  and  Foxes. 

A  creature  with  such  exquisite  power  of  smell  as  a  Bear 
has  no  difficulty  in  reading  at  once,  by  touch  and  taint  on  the 
register  trunk,  that  here  there  has  recently  been  a  Bear  of  such 
sex  and  species,  a  personal  friend  or  foe,  as  the  case  may  be — 
and  the  trail  shows  that  he  went  in  such  a  direction;  by  follow- 
ing that  trail  he  can  overtake  that  Bear,  or,  if  he  prefers  it,  he 
can  expend  his  sudden  outburst  of  feeling  on  the  offending  but 
defenceless  trunk. 


PLATE  XCIU.— ASPEN  TREE  WITH  UARKS  OF 
BLACKBEAR  CLIMBIVC. 
Colorado,  iQoi, 


PLATE  XCIV.— ASPEN  WITH  GRIZZLY  CLAW- 
MARKS. 
From  photograph  by  Mrs.  Gnu»  G.  Setoo. 


I'LAPE  XCV.— bear's  SIGN-POST,  MUCH  MARKED. 
Wilson  Flattops,  Colorado,  1901. 


PUTE  XCVI.-  \SPK.\  ONCE  CLIMBKD  BY  BLACK- 
BEAR.       EACH  CI.AW-MARK  IS  NOW  A  BUMP. 

Cijlorado,  igoi. 


\i 


I^k'^ 


ii. 


r 
1     » 


mam 


m 


Blackbear 


1063 


The  claw-marks  made  by  a  Grizzly  differ  from  those  of  a 
Blackbear,  first  by  their  size  and  second  by  being  clearly  5  in 
number,  while  the  latter  often  leave  but  4.  This  is  due  to  the 
shortness  of  the  Blackbear's  thumb  and  claw.  In  the  Rockies 
the  aspen  is  most  frequently  used  as  a  bear-register,  and  it  is 
singularly  well  adapted  for  records,  as  its  smooth  bark  never 
loses  its  scars.  The  claw-marks  of  the  Bear  may  gro\w  ou :  of 
pine  or  cotton-wood,  but  once  in  the  aspen  bark  they  stay  there 
for  life.  Thus  the  bark  of  a  growing  aspen  car- 
ries a  record  of  all  that  tree's  vicissitudes  for 
those  who  can  read.  Bear  claw-marks,  frost- 
crack,  woodpecker  borings,  insect  ravages,  horn 
thrusts  from  Wapiti,  Squirrel  gnawingsonthemere 
expansions  and  sutures  of  growth,  are  a'l  there, 
in  plain  and  legible  sight  (Plates  XCIII-.ICV!). 

Deep  marks  such  as  claw-wounds  may  even 
get  stronger  as  years  go  by.  I  know  of  a  singular 
case — a.  Blackbear  climbed  in  aspen  some  twenty 
years  before  I  saw  it — there  was  the  record 
plainly  to  be  seen,  but  the  claw-marks,  at  first 
deep  pits,  had  filled  up  ns  level  black  scars,  and 
at  length  became  ever-lengtheninr;  bumps,  till  now  each  is  pro- 
longed into  black  claw-like  warts  i  J  inches  long  (see  Fig,  243). 

In  addition  to  the  claw-  and  teeth-marks,  it  is  common  to 
see  the  bear-tree  more  or  less  plastered  with  mud  in  which  is 
Bear  hair.  This  was  left  by  some  Bear  rubbing  his  back  and 
marking  his  height  after  he  had  been  wallowing  in  the  mud. 
Some  observers  think  that  the  registers  are  used  only  in  the 
running  season,  but  I  have  reason  to  believe  that  in  a  less  degree 
they  serve  the  year  round. 


Fic.  >43  — Quakinf 
upen,  with  Bear 
claw -Kan  grown 
out  into  bumps 
li  inches  Inug. 

Colondo,  Sept.  j$,  1901. 


The  sum  of  evidence  shows  that  in  the  latitude  of  the  matiko 
Northern  States  and  southern  Canada  the  mating  season  of 
the  Blackbear  is  early  June;  though  in  some  cases  it  may  be 
deferred  as  late  as  the  first  week  of  July. 

But  little  is  known  of  the  details.    According  to  some 
hunters,  the  males  rush  along  the  bear-trails,  stopping  at  every 


'-•r.wmmmam 


1  II      ,' 


BEAR 
STOR- 
AGE 


WINTER- 
DENNING 


10C4        Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 

bear-fee  to  get  the  latest  news — there  to  learn  what  Bear  has 
gone  ty,  whether  fighting  males  or  unmated  females — add 
their  own  record,  then  hurry  along  the  most  promising  line,  to 
meet,  perhaps,  a  dozen  other  Bears  assembled  in  some  well- 
known,  quiet  haunt,  where,  with  much  threatening  and  occa- 
sional combat,  the  sexes  are  paired — one  male  to  one  female. 
The  'happy  couple'  set  off  alone  on  the  'honeymoon'  of  a 
week  or  more,  the  female  leading  the  way,  the  male  following, 
but  pausing  at  times  to  glance  back  and  hurl,  if  need  be,  a 
rumbling  defiance  to  any  other  of  his  sex  that  seems  disposed 
to  follow  or  dispute  his  claims. 

But  the  love-bond  weakens  with  the  love-moon's  waning. 
So  far  as  known,  they  part  in  July,  to  go  their  separate  ways, 
and  if  by  chance  they  meet  again  that  year,  it  is  as  strangers  or 
possible  enem.ies. 

Throughout  the  rest  of  the  summer  and  autumn  their 
energies  are  devoted  to  getting  fat.  The  Woodmouse  and  the 
Squirrel  store  up  hordes  of  choicest  food  in  holes  and  caves, 
the  Bear  and  the  Woodchuck  store  it  up  in  their  own  skins. 
Autumn  with  its  plentiful  nuts,  in  addition  to  many  other  foods, 
afi'ords  the  opportunity — and  the  Bears  lose  not  a  minute. 
Night  and  day  they  work,  their  stomachs  are  distended  to  the 
full,  but  amazingly  good  digestion  waits  on  boundless,  unbridled 
appetite,  and  the  Bear  grows  daily  rounder. 

Fur  is  a  wonderful  protection  from  the  cold,  fat  is  as  good. 
The  Bear  has  four  inches  of  each  when  winter  comes;  little  it 
heeds  the  storm.  And  yet  this,  of  all  the  big  forest  beasts,  the 
best  protected,  is  the  only  one  to  shun  the  battle  with  winter 
and  seek  a  safe  and  sheltered  den,  there  to  sink  into  the  sleep 
that  lasts  till  spring. 

The  winter-denning  of  the  Adirondack  Bears  was  studied 
by  Dr.  C.  Hart  Merriam,  who  says:" 

"The  exact  period  when  the  event  takes  place  is  deter- 
mined by  the  food-supply  and  the  severity  of  the  season.  If 
the  beechnut  crop  has  been  a  failure  and  deep  snows  come 

"Mam.  Adir.,  1884,  p.  g'. 


Blackbear 


1065 


early,  they  generally  den  near  the  commencement  of  winter. 
If,  on  the  contrary,  there  has  been  a  good  yield  of  mast  and  the 
winter  is  a  mild  one  (and  it  is  a  fact  that,  Mth  us,  good  beech- 
nut years  are  commonly  followed  by  open  winters),  the  males 
prowl  about  nearly,  or  quite,  all  winter,  and  the  females  only 
den  a  short  time  before  the  period  of  bringing  forth  their 
young.  Indeed,  it  can  be  set  down  as  a  rule  that  jo  long  as  a 
male  Bear  can  find  enough  to  eat  he  will  not  den,  be  t,je  weather 
never  so  severe; '»  for  it  is  evident  that  he  does  not  den  to  es- 
cape either  the  low  temperature  or  the  deep  snows,  but  to  thus 
bridg-  over  a  period  wiien,  if  active,  he  would  be  unable  to 
procure  sufficient  food.  And  the  female,  under  similar  cir- 
cumstances, remains  out  till  the  maternai  impulse  prompts  her 
to  seei^  a  shelter  for  her  prospective  offspring;  and  in  this 
wilderness  they  have  been  found  travelling  as  late  as  the  middle 
of  January." 

Quite  in  accordance  with  this  is  the  fact  that  menagerie 
Bears,  sure  of  their  food,  almost  never  go  into  a  true  winter 
sleep. 

A  tame  but  free  Blackbear,  kept  on  the  Red  River  by 
Alexander  Henry  in  1804,  began  to  prepare  its  winter  den  as 
early  as  November  13.'° 

I  have  seen  one  or  two  Bear  dens  and  have  heard  many 
described  by  the  hunters.  They  -ary  from  a  deep,  .jnug, 
sheltered  natural  cave  in  the  rocks,  to  a  hollow  tree  or  a  hole 
under  an  upturned  root.  Sometimes  the  Bear  digs  a  den  in 
the  level  ground,  as  I  once  saw  in  Manitoba,  and  sometimes  it 
makes  a  bed  under  a  windfall  of  logs  and  brush,  or  in  a  dense 
thicket.  But  wherever  chosen,  it  is  sure  to  be  a  dry  place 
where  the  snow  will  gather  and  lie  deep  all  winter. 

Great  variety  in  the  amount  of  lining  is  observable.  Ac- 
cording to  Merriam :"  "  The  amount  of  labour  bestowed  upon 
It  depends  upon  the  length  of  time  the  Bear  expects  to  hiber- 
nate. If  the  prospects  point  towards  a  severe  winter,  and  there 
IS  a  scarcity  of  food,  they  den  early  and  take  pains  to  make  a 


'•  Italics,  mine.— E.  T.  S. 
"  Mam.  Adir.,  1884,  PP-  97-8. 


»  Journal,  1897,  p.  253. 


1  «    I 


11' 


LI 


, 


I  i 


'  ( 


A    1 

i    I 


\  ■« 


BREED- 
ING 


1066        Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 

comfortable  nest;  but  when  they  stay  out  late  and  then  den  in 
a  hurry,  they  do  not  take  the  trouble  to  fix  up  their  nests  at  all. 
At  such  times  they  simply  crawl  into  any  convenient  shelter 
without  gathering  so  much  as  a  bunch  of  moss  to  soften  their 
bed.  Snow  completes  the  covering,  and  as  their  breath  con- 
denses and  freezes  into  it,  an  icy  wall  begins  to  form,  and 
increases  in  thickness  and  extent,  day  by  day,  till  they  are  soon 
unable  to  escape,  even  if  they  would,  and  are  obliged  to  wait  in 
this  icy  cell  till  liberated  by  the  sun  in  April  or  May." 

Nevertheless,  it  seems  that  the  Bear  does  not  truly  torpify 
in  hibernation. 

It  is  remarkable  that  no  one  yet  has  fcund  two  adult 
Blackbears  in  one  den.  Mother  and  half-grown  cubs  have 
been  taken  in  the  same  winter  quarters,  and,  of  course,  the 
mother  with  the  new-born  cubs  is  the  regular  thing,  but  never 
two  old  ones  together,  a  fact  that  speaks  for  the  unsociability 
of  the  species. 

Thf  Sreeding  of  Blackbears  was  for  long  shrouded  in 
mystery. 

It  was  formerly  believed  that  Bears  would  not  breed  in 
captivity,  but  n  dern  methods  and  care  have  disproved  this. 
We  now  have  very  full  data  on  the  breeding  of  captive  Black- 
bears, and  many  of  the  mysteries  have  been  dispelled. 

The  fullest  history  of  a  breeding  pair,  so  far  as  I  know,  is 
that  by  Arthur  B.  Baker.  It  is  a  complete  record"  of  a  pair 
of  Blackbears  from  their  first  to  their  fifteenth  year.  The 
male  was  captured  as  a  cub  in  Central  Michigan,  July,  i888, 
and  the  female,  of  the  same  age,  was  taken  about  the  same 
time  on  the  south  shore  of  Lake  Superior.  They  were  kept 
captive  at  R.  H.  Lodge's  Park,  Cuyahogd  Falls,  near  Akron, 
Ohio. 

The  first  litter  was  born  when  the  parents  were  4  years 
old,  that  is,  the  union  took  place  when  the  old  ones  were 
3 1,  and  this  is  probably  the  age  at  which  normally  they  begin 

**A  notable  success  in  the  breeding  of  Blackbears  by  Arthur  B.  Baker,  Smithsonian 
Misc.  Coll.,  Vol.  45,  No.  1434,  pp.  175-9,  January  7,  1904,  Washington,  D.  C. 


K^ 


m 


mtM 


Blackbear 


1067 


-  /a). 


to  reproduce;  though  it  is  possible  that  the  female  is  ready  a 
year  earlier. 

The  period  of  gestation  is  about  seven  months. 

The  young  are  born  in  the  latter  half  of  January,  while  gesta. 
the  mother  is  sealed  up  in  her  winter  den,  and— being  far  from  "'"' 
torpid— very  well  able  to  devote  all  her  time  to  the  offspring,  the  '°™<* 
case  recalling  that    of  the  great  -o. 

Indian  hornbill,  in  which  the  male  //^ 

bird  seals  up  the  female  in  the  ' 

nest  with  the  eggs,  to  insure  her 

unremitting    atf  .don;     only    in      ^    i    -^ ... 

the  case  of  the  she  Bear  the  relin-  /  /^""^  ;«•»•'♦;  ^-/>L22s> 
quishment  of  the  world  is  volun- 
tary and  complete,  and  lasts  for 
several  months,  during  which  she 
neither  eats  nor  drinks,  and  is  yet 
in  full  possession  of  all  her  appe- 
tites, powers,  and  faculties. 

It  was  long  stated  and  be- 
lieved among  fappers  and  hunt- 
ers that  no  man  ever  yet  killed 
a  pregnant  Bear.  The  fact  is  that 
the  embryos  are  so  small  that  no 
one,  but  an  expert  anatomist, 
could  find  them;  even  up  to  the 

time  when  they  are  born  they  are  surprisingly  small,  as  well  as 
naked,  and  rather  shapeless.  They  are  much  less  In  proportion 
than  the  young  of  any  other  mammal  outside  of  the  marsupials. 

At  birth  they  are  about  8  inches  long  and  weigh  from  9  to  size 
12  ounces,  that  is  about  1-200  to  1-250  of  the  mother's  weight, 
while  a  young  Deer  is  1-30,  a  young  dog  1-25,  the  human  being 
1-20,  and  the  young  Porcupine  1-15  of  the  weight  of  the 
mother.  A  new-born  Porcupine  is,  in  fact,  as  Merriam  points 
out,  actually  larger  and  heavier  than  a  new-born  Blackbear. 


Flo.  144— Mutology  of  BUckbrir  9 . 
Great  SUtc  Kivcr,  Judc  15, 1907, 


ii 


1 1  i 


ii 


'  i- 


ii 


: ;;  t  i 


iWui  I. 


NUMBER 


1068        Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 

The  cubs  are  usually  2  in  number;  occasionally  there  is 
but  I,  especially  if  it  be  the  mother's  first  litter;  3  are  common, 
and  4  have  been  recorded  several  times. 


The  Lodge 

1892,  Jan. 

1893,  Jan. 

1894,  


record  above  referred  to  runs  thus: 
23.    One  male  cub,  found  dead. 


24.    Two  males  and  one  female. 

—  No  cubs  born,  owing  to  young  of  previ- 
ous year  having  run  with  mother 
throughout  the  summer. 

1895,  Jan.  23.    One  male  and  one  female. 

1896,  Jan.  24.    Two  males  and  one  female. 

1897, One  male  (exact  date  of  birth  not  no- 
ticed, but  between  January  21  and 

V)- 

1898,  Jan.  24.    One  male  and  one  female. 

1899,  Jan.  27.    Three  males. 

1900, No  cubs  born,  as  young  of  previous  year 

had  run  with  the  mother  during  the 
summer. 

1901,  Jan.  26.    Two  males  and  one  female. 

1902, No  cubs  born. 

1903,  Jan.  21.    Two  males  and  one  female. 

This  valuable  record  proves,  among  other  interesting  things, 
that  the  wild  mother  Bear  breeds  only  every  other  year,  unless 
she  has  the  misfortune  to  lose  her  family  early  v     he  season. 

At  birth  the  cub  is  blind  and  is  covered  with  a  tine,  close 
dark  hair,  so  thin  that  it  is  practically  naked. 

In  all  cases  observed  the  mother  has  hovered  and  brooded 
over  the  young  for  six  or  eight  weeks,  covering  them  as  anx- 
iously as  thougl  1  single  breath  of  cold  air  would  be  their 
certain  and  sudden  death,  as  doubtless  it  might  under  their 
natural  conditions  in  certain  parts  of  the  range. 

A  litter  of  young  Blackbears  was  born  in  the  Brooklyn 
Zoo  in  1899,  and  the  keeper,  Edward  Walsh,  wrote.-"     "The 

"  ^orest  and  Stream,  February  4,  iSgg,  p.  84. 


Mtt 


u  5  g 


H  J! 


E      3 


hi 


Blackbear 


1069 


mother  seems  to  spend  most  of  her  time  suckling  them,  and  is 
very  solicitous  for  their  comfort.  The  cubs  have  a  habit  of 
whining  like  puppy  dogs,  especially  when  by  any  chance  they 
are  crowded  away  from  their  dinner.  Their  mother  licks 
them  and  fondles  them  with  her  paws  and  is  as  proud  of  them 
and  jealous  of  interference  as  any  human  mother." 

Frank  J.  Thompson,  whose  account  of  the  Blackbears 
bred  in  the  Cincinnati  Zoo  is  the  earliest  that  I  knew  of,  gives 
the  following  interesting  details  of  their  development.-" 

"In  about  ten  days  their  coats  began  to  show  and  were  of  a 
grayish  tint  which  gradually  passed  through  the  various  shades 
until  they  t  me  a  brownish-black.  It  was  just  40  days 
before  the  first  one's  eyes  opened,  and  2  days  later  the  second 
followed  suit.  From  that  time  forward  I  watched  very  clo.«=cly 
to  ascertain  the  exact  time  that  would  elapse  before  the  young 
ones  would  leave  the  nest,  and  on  the  seventy-first  day  after 
birth,  when  the  mother,  as  was  her  habit,  came  to  the  grating 
to  be  fed,  one  of  the  youngsters  left  the  nest  and  followed  her. 
So  soon  as  she  found  it  out  she  immediately  drew  it  gently 
back,  and,  on  its  second  attempt,  she  cuffed  it  soundly,  which 
put  a  stop  to  its  wandering  propensity. 

"After  a  few  days  she  allowed  them  to  wander  about  at 
will,  provided  no  one  was  immediately  in  front  of  the  den,  but 
so  soon  as  a  visitor  put  in  an  appearance,  they  were  driven  back 
into  the  nest,  and  not  allowed  to  emerge  until  the  strangers  were 
out  of  sight.  For  some  time  she  always  suckled  them  in  one 
position,  lying  over  and  completely  covering  them  by  stretching 
flat  on  her  belly  with  her  legs  drawn  up  under  her  and  her  head 
tucked  down  between  her  front  paws.  As  they  grew  older  and 
began  to  run  about  she  would  sit  on  her  haunches,  lazily  lean 
back  against  the  wall,  take  a  cub  on  each  fore-arm,  and  hold 
them  up  i.0  her  breast  until  they  were  satisfied.  They  soon 
became  expert  climbers,  taking  advantage  of  the  slightest 
inequaliiies  of  the  stone  walls  and  the  cracks  between  the 
heavy  oaken  planks  to  reach  the  ceiling  of  the  den  on  three 
sides,  while  the  grating  in  front  served  capitally  for  their  sky- 

"  Forest  and  Stream,  September  4,  1879,  p.  605. 


)\ 


)  \\ 


_1 


1070       Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 


fl 


1  i*v  'I   --i 
.  Mi'O   'it 
.    f     '    '  I ' 


*  1 


! 

,1 
( 


J 


ilt!l?: 


:4.>' 


SPRING 


larking.  Occasionally  they  would  have  a  regular  sparring 
bout,  standing  erect,  feinting,  countering,  and  making  use  of 
many  of  the  tricks  of  old  votaries  of  the  prize-ring.  These 
frolics  would  generally  end  in  a  clinch  fall,  and  a  regular  rough- 
and-tumble  fight,  wh  :n  the  mother  would  abruptly  put  a  stop  to 
it  by  suddenly  knocking  both  of  the  contestants  completely  out 
of  time.  In  fact,  as  they  grew  apace,  the  parental  visitations  in- 
creased so  rapidly  I  began  to  fear  she  would  put  an  end  to  my 
Bear  investigations  by  chastising  the  lives  out  of  them,  but  of 
late  she  has  slackened  in  her  attentions,  and  I  am  in  hopes 
of  following  the  growth  of  Ursus  americanus  from  babyhood 
to  adolescence." 

This  determination  to  bring  the  young  up  right,  no  matter 
how  much  spanking  is  needed,  is  common  to  most  mother 
Bears,  but  is  very  variable  individually.  I  have  known  an  old 
Bear  to  punish  her  young  one  severely  merely  because  she, 
herself,  had  at  that  time  lost  her  head  in  a  sudden  alarm  and 
behaved  foolishly.  We  look  not  in  vain  among  cur  own  kind 
for  parallel  cases. 

When  spring  comes  with  force,  in  the  woods  it  melts  the 
ice  and  frees  the  icebound  mother  Bear.  If  the  weather  is  at 
all  settled,  and  the  ground  partly  clear  of  snow,  she  sets  forth 
on  her  travels  in  search  of  food,  the  little  ones  stringing  behind 
her  like  a  lot  of  little  pigs.  And  now  they  say  good-by  to  the 
old  den.  Thenceforth  the  mother  sleeps  where  and  whenso- 
ever she  is  sleepy — and  the  little  ones  slumber  cuddled  in  her 
arms,  and  more  or  less  beneath  her  body. 

The  old  Bear  usually  comes  out  fat  in  the  spring,  but  the 
scarcity  of  food  and  the  drain  of  the  thriving  young  family  soon 
reduce  her  stored-up  supplies.  And  a  May  Bear  is  always  a 
lean  Bear. 

The  cubs  learn  to  eat  solid  food  as  soon  as  the  bare  ground 
makes  it  obtainable. 

The  mother's  care  of  them  and  their  faith  in  her  at  this 
time  are  ideal,  and  all  pictures  of  it  that  have  been  put  on  record 
have  a  human  character  that  is  sometimes  exceedingly  touching. 


Blackbeai 


1071 


A  Chicago  traveller,  whose  identity  I  cannot  learn,  re- 
lated the  following  to  a  reporter  for  the  Record-Herald,  August 
1901:  ' 

"When  I  was  in  Michigan  a  few  weeks  ago  I  had  just  this 
experience.  I  was  passing  through  Harmon  City,  which  is  a 
pretty  wild  sort  of  country.  A  couple  of  men  from  the  village 
were  doing  some  work  on  the  outskirts  when  they  caught  sight 
of  Bear  tracks.  They  followed  for  a  while  and  then  set  a 
heavy  trap.  Later  they  returned,  and  they  had  a  Bear,  sure 
enough.  She  was  a  large  brute  with  dumb,  beseeching  eyes, 
from  which  the  tears  rolled  as  they  might  have  rolled  from 
a  human  being.  I  went  with  others  and  was  a  witness  of  the 
tragedy.  The  men  simply  shot  her  to  death  as  she  lay  there 
with  her  right  fore-paw  held  in  that  awful  grip  of  steel. 

"Then  the  men  waited  around  until  the  old  Bear,  her 
husband,  came  in  sight.  He  wasn't  trapped,  but  he' was 
killed  just  as  expeditiously.  The  poor  beasts  had  no  show. 
But  the  most  pathetic  sight,  to  me,  was  the  three  little  cubs 
which  had  followed  their  mother  to  the  scene  of  her  death,  and 
which  whimpered  like  sorrowful  babies  over  the  killing  of  their 
parents. 

"When  the  big  Bears  were  killed  one  of  the  little  chaps, 
about  the  size  of  a  small  shepherd  dog,  climbed  to  the  branch 
of  a  tree  on  which  their  bodies  were  suspended  and  looked 
down  in  wonder  at  the  still,  dead  faces.  Another  litde  Bear 
sniffed  feebly  at  the  swaying  body  of  his  mother,  while  the 
third  put  his  paws,  trustingly  and  pathetically,  upon  the  knees 
of  one  of  the  men  whose  rifles  had  done  the  work.  I'm  not 
much  of  a  sentimentalist,  but  those  three  litde  orphan  Bears 
kept  me  from  talking  out  loud  for  half  an  hour." 

Notwithstanding  her  courage  and  strength  in  their  defence, 
and  her  cleverness  on  their  behalf,  the  mother  Bear  is  some- 
times separated  from  one  or  more  of  her  cubs;  the  young  ones 
are  lost  m  the  woods.  A  case  of  the  kind  is  thus  recorded  bv 
Dr.  Merriam:"  ' 

"  Mam.  Adir.,  1884,  p.  loi. 


(1 

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1072        Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 

"While  hunting,  June  lo,  1878,  Dr.  C.  L.  Bagg  and  the 
writer  followed  the  old  trail  from  Fourth  Lake  across  Eagle 
Creek  in  the  direction  of  John's  Lake.  In  exploring  a  hard- 
wood ridge  a  little  to  the  north  of  the  regular  course,  we  were 
suddenly  surprised  by  a  loud  and  peculiar  cry  w'ith  which  we 
were  both  unacquainted.  It  came  from  the  direction  of  a 
dense  balsam  swamp  below,  and  somewhat  resembled  the 
squealing  of  a  pig,  while  at  the  same  time  it  suggested  the  noise 
made  by  the  Great  Blue  Heron  when  on  its  nesting  grounds. 
As  the  cry  was  repeated,  Dr.  Bagg  imitated  it,  and  suc- 
ceeded so  well  that  we  soon  perceived  it  to  be  coming  nearer. 
Fearing  that  it  might  change  its  course,  I  ran  down  the  hill, 
and  soon  saw  a  dark-coloured  animal,  about  tli<:  size  of  a 
Raccoon,  emerge  from  the  swamp  and  jump  upon  a  log, 
rushing  headlong  in  the  direction  towards  Dr.  Bagg,  and 
squealing  at  brief  intervals  as  if  in  great  distress.  Bringing  my 
gun  (loaded  only  with  No.  4  shot)  hastily  to  my  shoulder,  I 
fired,  and  the  report  was  followed  by  a  shriek  of  pain  and 
plaintive  baby-like  sobbing  cry  that  lasted  for  nearly  a  minute. 
On  reaching  the  spot  the  animal  was  found  to  be  a  cub  Bear, 
and  was  then  quite  dead,  one  of  the  shot  having  passed  through 
both  ventricles  of  the  heart.  It  was  very  thin,  weighed  but  10 
pounds  (4,536  grams),  and  had  evidently  been  lost  from  its 
mother  for  some  time.  Its  stomach  contained  nothing  but  beech- 
nuts, and  beechnuts  that  have  lain  on  the  ground  all  winter, 
and  are  still  fit  to  eat  in  June,  are  certainly  few  and  far  between." 

Another  peep  into  the  pathetic  side  of  the  Bear's  life  is 
afforded  by  a  letter  that  I  recently  received  from  a  little  girl 
in  Salmon,  Idaho:" 

"Jim  Winn,  an  old  trapper  and  hunter  here  in  the  valley, 
said  that  one  time  he  went  out  hunting,  and  when  he  was  eating 
his  lunch  he  heard  an  awful  running  and  snorting  down  the  hill 
where  his  horse  was,  so  when  he  looked  around  he  saw  a  little 
tiny  baby  Bear  trying  to  catch  the  horse.  He  said  that  he 
shot  at  it  and  hit  it  in  the  neck,  but  did  not  kill  it.  Hi  said  it 
cried  so  pitifully  that  he  was  sorry  he  shot  it.    Pretry  sjon  *he 

"  Personal  letter. 


ii' 

i 


»  i 


-  --*..-*  ^. ..  ■  -^— 


Blackbeai 


1073 


mother  Bear  came  and  saw  the  little  Bear  crying,  so  she  picked 
it  up  and  spanked  it  very  hard,  for  she  did  not  know  what  was 
the  matter  with  it.  Presently  she  smelled  the  blood  on  the 
little  one's  neck,  and  that  set  her  wild.  She  ran  up  and  down 
the  canyon  and  cried  as  if  her  heart  would  break.  Jim  said 
he  had  never  seen  a  Bear  cry  so  much  like  a  human  being 
before.  Then  she  came  back  to  the  little  baby  Bear  and 
picked  it  up  (it  was  still  crying)  and  brought  it  into  the  thick 
woods.  Jim  said  he  thought  she  was  going  to  bury  it,  for  it 
was  nearly  dead." 

(Signed)  Beth  Yearian  (age  12).  Salmon,  Idaho,  Novem- 
ber 23,  1902. 

The  gambols  of  a  family  of  little  Bears  are  exceedingly 
boylike  and  amusing.  They  wrestle  and  box  and  pretend  to 
fight  with  all  the  vigour  of  gamins  at  play.  Usually  they  are 
careful  to  keep  the  rules  of  the  game  and  avoid  hurting  each 
other,  but  ill-tempered  Bears  are  as  frequent  as  ill-tempered 
boys,  and  savage  quarrels  have  thus  arisen  in  the  family. 

A.  B.  Baker  tells"  of  a  litrie  reprobate  which,  when  only 
three  and  one-half  months  old,  killed  his  brother  in  a  fight 
over  a  pan  of  milk.  This  same  authority  has  further  given  us 
m  context  the  seamy  side  of  the  mother's  character: 

"  The  old  Bear  is  a  model  mother  to  the  cubs  as  long  as  they 
remain  under  her  care,  even  refusing  on  their  account  the  at- 
tentions of  her  mate,  but  when  they  are  taken  away,  her  affec- 
tion for  them  seems  soon  to  end.  The  two  cubs  of  1898  were 
removed  in  May  and  returned  to  the  mother  early  in  October, 
after  first  being  kept  for  two  weeks  with  only  a  grating  between! 
She  had  seemed  to  recognize  them,  but  when  they  were  put 
together  she  at  once  caught  the  little  male  by  the  head  and 
Killed  him,  and  only  forcible  measures  prevented  her  from 
climbing  the  tree  and  repeating  the  operation  on  the  other  cub, 
which  had  taken  refuge  there." 

Throughout  the  summer  the  old  Bear  wanders  about  the 
home-region  that  she  knows— probably  less  than  a  ic-mile 

"£«.  cU.,  p.  177. 


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1074       Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 

radius — and  the  little  ones  grow  in  size,  but  usually  dwindle 
in  numbers.  Accidents  will  happen,  and  little  Bears  get 
coughs  and  colds,  or  disobey  their  mothers  and  come  to  grief. 
Consequently,  while  3  little  Bears  are  often  found  in  the 
mother's  den,  rarely  more  than  2  are  seen  roaming  by  her 
side  in  summer,  and  autumn,  in  many  cases,  sees  the  number 
reduced  to  i. 

The  young,  whatever  the  number,  are  believed  to  den  up 
with  the  mother  the  following  winter,  and  probably  remain 
with  her  until  the  mating  season  comes  with  June,  and  finally 
the  family  feeling  is  dispelled  by  the  newer  thought.  The 
young  ones  scatter,  and  thenceforth  when  they  meet  the  mother 
they  are  little  better  than  any  other  stranger. 


THE 
FATHER 


So  far  as  I  can  determine,  the  father  Bear  takes  no  interest 
in  the  young  ones.  Menagerie  keepers  have  learned,  through 
many  disastrous  experiences,  that  the  less  he  is  with  the  cubs 
the  better  for  them.  In  the  vast  majority  of  cases  the  mother 
is  the  only  adult  seen  abroad  with  the  young. 

On  the  other  hand,  there  are  on  record  a  few  cases  in 
which  an  adult  male  has  been  found  associated  with  the  mother 
and  little  ones,  and  Miles  Spencer,  of  Fort  George,  Hudson 
Bay,  after  years  of  experience  in  that  region,  backed  by 
the  opinions  of  the  native  hunters,  puts  his  view  on  record 
in  this  brief  sentence:  "The  male  assists  in  rearing  the 
young."" 


Disposi  Notwithstanding  a  widespread  idea,  the  Blackbear  cannot 

be  called  a  fierce  or  dangerous  animal.  On  the  contrary,  it  is 
one  of  the  shyest  and  most  timid  of  wild  creatures.  I  have  met 
scores  of  them  in  the  woods,  and,  almost  without  exception, 
they  fled  like  Rabbits  as  soon  as  they  knew  I  was  near. 

The  exceptions  to  this  rule  are:  A  captive  Bear  that  has, 
through  daily  association,  lost  its  fear  of  man,  and,  through 
cruelty,  begotten  a  hate  of  him;  a  female  whose  young  are 
threatened;  and  finally,  a  wounded,  cornered,  crippled,  or 

"  Low,  Expl.  James  Bay,  Can.  Geol.  Surv.,  1888,  Pt.  J,  App.  Ill,  p.  78. 


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Blackbear  1075 

tr^'Tri'^^^'\^"^u''^^''^  will  fight  just  as  surely  as  a 
Rat  or  a  Chipmunk  will  in  like  conditions 

to  fJ^^'l^i:^,'"''^-^^^^^'  ^^-  •«  '"tie  need 

If  r  JIl'"  kT^'^T "^  °'  ^°'"^  '°  ^^^''  "  «  «  dangerous  enemy. 
It  can  disable  a  dog  or  a  man  with  a  blow  of  its  paw  Wth 
Its  jaws  It  can  crush  ribs  and  limbs.  But  its  c^ws  sharn 
and  driven  by  muscles  of  far  greater  power  than  tCe  of  Z 

:"rrferd  "'  '^  ^"'^  ''"''''  ^'^P°-'  and  in  spUe  of 
current  egends,  we  may  rest  satisfied  that  no  man   however 

any  one,  with  any  kind  of  a  trap,  can  catch  a  B^r."^  Other 

o"d  Skbear    andT"?  ^°^  *'^!.^^"  "^^^  '«  ^  ^^^  °  " 
Old  Blackbear,  and  stoutly  contend  that  a   successful  Bear 

hunter  and  trapper  has  attained  the  acme  of  woodcraft 

1  here  are  doubtless  exceptional  Bears,  whose  performances 

have  raised  the  trappers'  opinion  of  the  whole  race.    ftTwel 

own  craft,  and  ascribe  to  his  prey  an  intelligence  that  he  denies 
to  creatures  which  he  knows  less  about 

intelfecV^hou^h"  > '^^  ''''  ''^  ^^^  '^  '^•S'^  -  ^'^^  -^'e  of 
intelligence,  though  it  cannot  compare  with  a  dog   Fox   or 

a?d  has  ?f  *''  -'^-r  ^"ous  powers  of  smell  an^d  hearing 
dn..h.f  1      .^"P-'-oo»^d  shyness  about  all  things  strange   S 

k  nd';'"\trSxed^         "  T"  .^"'  ^^'"  ^^°-  *-P«  °"friou 

run  '  .nH?.  •        '  'f  "'.^"^  "^^'"^  '"^"^  '^^   'I"  ^^^se  of  doubt 
run,  and  it  is  nearly  always  in  doubt.  ' 

I  have  frequently  seen  a  Bear  at  a  distance  of  half  a  mil,. 
tXs  ot  r  ^'""  "P  l:'^  "°^^  ''  '"^^  -"-'«5e  Id  brough 

On  the  other  hand,  the  Blackbear's  eyes  are  not  very  cood 
and  twice  on  the  open  plains  in  Manitoba  I  have,  at  b^TdTy-' 


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1076        Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 

light,  walked  right  into  a  Blackbcar  that  did  not  know  I  was 
near,  simply  because  I  had  the  wind. 

Many  tales  are  told  of  Bear  depredations  in  western 
camps  during  the  absence  of  the  owners-depredations  m 
which  hunger  had  no  incentive  part.    Merr»am  gives     one 

that  occurred  in  the  Adiron- 
dacks  at  the  Government  Sur- 
vey Camp  in  1882: 

"  Returning  one  day,  after 
a  temporary  absence,  the  mem- 
bers of  the  party  were  aston- 
ished  to  find  their   tent   torn 
down,  and  blankets,  books,  and 
instruments  strewn  about  upon 
the  ground.    The  foot-prints  of 
a  Bear  revealed  the  identity  of 
the  marauder,  and  Mr.  Colvin, 
Superintendent  of  the  Survey, 
afterwards  fired  at  and  wounded 
the  beast,  but  did  not  succeed 
in  capturing  him." 

J.  Blackwell,  of  Ta coma 
Hotel,  Seattle,  told  me  that  for 
long  they  kept  a  pet  Bear  cub  that  developed  an  extraordinary 
love  of  mischief.  Whenever  he  could  break  away  ne  left  a  trail 
of  destruction  behind.  His  wickedest  exploit,  the  one  which 
finally  turned  the  women  against  him,  and  of  course  ended  in 
his  ruin,  was  entering  a  house  while  the  family  was  away  and 
deliberately  seeking  out  and  tearing  to  shreds  all  the  bonnets 
in  the  wardrobe.  He  would  face  and  fight  anything  but  the 
unknown.  And  the  only  thing  that  seemed  unknown  to  him 
was  a  wheelbarrow.  A  small  boy  could  drive  him  anywhere 
with  a  wheelbarrow. 

Another  old  Bear  that  he  had  was  very  savage;  no  one,  not 
even  the  keeper,  dared  venture  within  the  radius  of  the  chain. 

"  Mam.  Adir.,  1884,  p.  103- 


Fio.  245— Be»r  fan.  (From  lilc.) 


1   ^1 


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Blackbear  1077 

But  one  day  a  cripple  who  came  to  the  hotel  got  very  drunk  and 
disappeared.    Next  morning  they  heard  a  foice  in  'he  Bea"  s 

mi«;n  ^^  °r'7'^'?°  ""''  y'  ^'^°^'""':  ^"d  »here  was  the 
missmg  cripple  sleepmg  with  this  ferocious  Bear.  They  had 
much  difficulty  to  get  him  out.  partly  because  he  didn't  want 

If  rgu'est  ""''  '"'""  ^'^  ^'''  '^"^'^^  ^^'^  ^-  PO--ion 
A  tame  Bear  was  kept  at  Park  River  House  on  the  Red 

.^,:rsay^;""-^  '^  ^'"^"'^^  "^"^  •"  ^«°4.  The  old  chron- 
"He  is  so  tame  as  to  require  no  care  or  confinement  but 

associates  with  the  dogs,  and  even  follows  them  and  the  men 

into  the  plains  and  woods." 

of  BlIckVeT'^'**  ''"^^""f  P'"""""  8'^"  "«  «"o»her  glimpse 
01  Blackbear  character  in  the  following" 

side  of^hi'' •'"'  ^'^'■f.^;^«"«'"8  ca-^P  I  saw  a  Bear  on  the  east 
side  of  the  river  a  little  above  us.  coming  down  to  drink  I 
crossed  over  and  followed  him;  he  soon  shopped  withba  few 

de""nd  hT.r''  ""u"''  ''''■  '  '''''  '^^  ''"--  h-L" 
scam:erin.  !w  '°  ^'^^.^^""^Jike  a  log.  but  in  a  moment  was 
scampering  away  as  fast  as  he  could.     I  traced  him  by  the 

bling  and  licking  h.s  wounds.  A  second  shot  dispatched  him 
By  the  hideous  scream  he  uttered  when  he  fell  from  the  tree  I 
unag'ned  he  was  coming  at  me.  and  was  waiting  f^r  him  whh 
my  second  barrel  cocked  when  he  ran  off.  I  went  for  ITwo 
men,  and  it  was  hard  work  for  us  three  to  draw  him  to  the 

hT'.  K-  T  "'"^  ^''-     1  ^°""^  »hat  my  first  ball  had  gone 
hrough  his  heart.     I  was  surprised  that  he  should  have  beer! 
so  active  after  a  wound  of  that  kind." 

Climb^l  ZtT'u\i"  ""'"  ^°^"    '^^'  ^    ^'^^''b^a^   '«  a    good    CUMB. 

Climber,  but  I  shall  never  forget  the  surprise  I  got  when  first  I  ^'^ 

hTn:,ii:  hrsiow "'  ^  *"^- 1  '^^^  p'«"-^ '°  -y-"  -- 

action  of  '"°^l"«  "P  °^^  ""^"^  ^^  a  sJo^h,  or  at  best  the 

action  of  an  expert  sailor  going  up  the  shrouds.     But  what  I 

Joun,al,  ,897.  p.  ,53.  „^^    ^  ^^ 


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1078        Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 

really  saw  was  more  like  the  action  of  a  cat.  It  had  not  the 
spring  and  agility  of  a  Squirrel  or  Marten,  but  this  Bear  went 
up  three  times  as  fast  as  any  man  could,  and  quite  as  well  as 
any  monkey  that  ever  I  saw.  In  coming  down  he  travels  tail 
first.  It  is  quite  a  common  thing  for  a  Bear  up  a  tree,  when 
fired  at,  to  throw  himself  to  the  ground  from  a  considerable 
height.  Those  hunters  who  do  not  know  this  trick  are  apt  to 
think  the  game  is  killed,  and  are  generally  surprised  to  see  him 
bound  olT,  as  though  quite  unhurt. 

A  friend  of  mine  had  a  Blackbear  cub  that  used  to  play 
some  very  curious  tricks  on  a  dog  that  he  alternately  played 
and  quarrelled  with.  Hiding  in  a  tree,  under  which  the  dog 
sometimes  slept,  he  would  await  a  good  chance  to  leap  from 
a  height  of  fifteen  feet  and  land  with  crushing  force  on  his 
enemy's  body,  not  breaking  any  bones,  but  knocking  his  breath 
out,  and  driving  him  away  in  ignominious  rout. 

Bears  are  good  swimmers.  It  is  quite  a  common  thing  to 
see  Bears  in  Muskoka  and  in  northern  Manitoba  make  volun- 
tarily long  swims  across  lakes  and  rivers.  In  the  August  of 
1906,  Dr.  Gordon  Bell,  with  the  other  Water  Commissioners  of 
Winnipeg,  secured  a  large  Bear  swimming  in  Shoal  Lake. 

It  is  easy,  if  one  have  boat  and  rifle,  to  overtake  and  kill 
the  swimming  Bear,  but  without  the  latter  it  is  a  risky  business, 
for  the  Bear,  on  seeing  the  boat  come  near,  may  turn  and  climb 
into  it.  He  does  not  usually  attack  the  other  occupant,  under 
these  circumstances,  but  his  ideas  of  'trim'  are  so  inadequate 
that  it  usually  ends  in  the  hunter  having  to  swim  for  it. 

WALLOWS  Old  hunters  who  have  lived  their  lives  among  the  one-time 
swarming  Bears  of  the  Rockies,  tell  you  that  a  Bear  is  a  kind  of 
a  pig.  What  a  pig  will  eat  a  Bear  will  eat;  what  a  pig  will  do 
a  Bear  will  do;  only  a  Bear  is  smarter  and  he  can  climb.  Many 
of  them  apply  pig  nomenclature  to  Bears,  speaking  of  them  as 
'boars,'  'sows,'  ' drees,'  etc. 

In  the  Colorado  Mountains  I  once  saw  a  black  muck 
wallow  much  1. ..e  that  of  a  Wapiti,  but  all  about  were  evidences 


SWIM- 
MING 


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1080        Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 

that  a  mother  Blackbear  and  her  young  had  been  using  it  in 
pig  fashion.  The  hunters  there  said  wallowing  was  a  constant 
practice  of  Blackbears  in  hot  weather  when  flies  were  trouble- 
some, or  when  they  were  shedding  their  coats.  This,  however, 
was  on  September  21. 

Another  kind  of  wallowing  is  indulged  in  by  these  Bears. 
I  once  called  attention  in  Recreation  Magaxint  to  the  trick  of 
rolling  in  carrion,  that  is  common  to  dogs  and  Wolves.  Among 
the  comments  called  forth  was  the  following: 

"  Having  read  in  Recreation  of  dogs  rolling  in  carrion,  and 
having  seen  them  do  it,  I  can  add  another  animal  to  the  list, 
which  I  have  not  seen  mentioned,  and  thar  is  a  Blackbear.  I 
have  a  cub  about  four  months  old  to  whom  1  gave  some  cooked 
fish  that  had  been  lef'  over  from  supper  the  night  before. 
Instead  of  eating  it,  he  took  it  out  of  the  pan  and  began  to  roll 
in  it,  rubbing  his  head  and  shoulder  the  same  as  I  have  seen 
dogs  do."" 

'All  animals  are  omnivorous,  especially  the  Blackbear,' 
might  properly  have  appeared  in  a  certain  celebrated  essay  on 
Beasts.  The  Bears,  like  the  Coons,  are  quite  omnivorous  at  all 
times.  The  Weasels  will  eat  fruit,  if  hard  put,  but  prefer  meat 
at  all  times.  The  Muskrat  will  eat  fruit  if  starving,  but  prefers 
vegetables  at  all  times.  But  the  Bears  and  Coons  prefer  all 
things  eatable  at  all  times  without  asking  whether  they  be 
animal,  vegetable,  or  unholy  man-made  compounds.  A  list 
of  the  Bear's  staples  is  not  a  list  of  what  it  likes,  but  of  what 
it  can  get. 

During  the  earlj'  spring  tnc  chief  supply  of  the  Blackbear 
is  roots.  In  Manitoba  they  are  said  to  feed  on  the  roots  of  the 
Sand-flower  or  Prairie  Crocuo  [Anemone  patens)  and  the  In- 
dian potato  {Psoralea  tsculenta).  In  the  mountains  the  hunters 
described  the  earliest  spring  Bear  food  ps  a  fibrous  white  root 
which  I  could  not  identify.  To  this  it  adds  grass  shoots,  bark 
of  young  trees,  any  insect,  and  every  stray  Mouse  or  morsel 
of  carrion  that  it  can  pick  up. 

"  James  W.  Nicol,  Moore,  Wash.,  in  Recreation  Magazine,  March,  1900,  p.  223. 


Blackbear  losi 

In  many  of  the  northern  lakes  a  new  food  supply  is  added 
in  the  myriads  of  Mayflies  that  are  drowned  and  washed  up  on 
the  beach.  About  Shoal  Lake.  Man.,  the  residents  assured  me 
that  in  jome  »ea.ons  the  shores  of  the  lake  ue  covered  with  a 
pile  of  dead  Mayfl.es  6  feet  wide,  6  inches  high  at  the  highest 
point,  and  about  ao  miles  long. 

^  .  ^/  P'«*>'«'  «n  his  notes  on  the  Blackbear  in  Keewatin, 

"One  was  seen  near  Robinson  Portage  by  Mr  W  C 
King,  who  passed  this  point  a  day  or  two  ahead  of  us  on  his 
way  towards  York  Factory.  This  Bear  was  feeding  on  the 
piles  of  Mayflies  {EphemeriJa)  which  perish  in  myriads  and 
arc  washed  up  on  the  shores  in  long  windrows.  These  are  said 
to  constitute  a  favourite  food  of  the  Bear  " 

V^J^^Tn  ^l^\  ""^.'^^  Blackbcars  he  killed  between  York 
Fort  and  Cumberland  House:  "Their  flesh  was  abominable. 
This  was  in  the  month  of  June,  long  before  any  fruit  was  ripe, 
for  the  want  of  which  they  then  fed  entirely  on  water-insects 
which  m  some  of  the  lakes  we  crossed  that  day  were  in  aston' 
ishing  multitudes.  [Foot-note  says,  'lying  in  putrid  masses  to 
the  depth  of  2  or  3  feet.  ] 

"The  method  by  which  the  Bears  catch  these  insects  is 
by  swimming  with  their  mouths  open,  in  the  same  manner  as 
the  whaJes  do  when  feeding  on  the  sea-spider.  There  was  not 
one  of  the  Bears  killed  that  day  which  had  not  its  stomach  as 
full  of  these  msects  (only)  as  ever  a  hog's  was  with  grains,  and 
when  cut  open  the  stench  from  them  was  intolerable  " 

An  abundant  spring  food-root  in  much  of  the  Bear's  ranee 
IS  the  arum  and.  so  far  as  other  vei.Ttanan8  are  concerned,  it  is 
probable  that  the  Bear  is  welcome  to  every  root  of  the  kind  it 
can  find  m  the  woods.  I  know  of  no  other  creature  that  can 
stand  Its  pungent  terrors. 

Audubon  and  Bachman  comment  thus  on  the  habit  •» 
.u    T  j.'^^P'  !h«  'nost  acrid  vegetable  eaten  by  the  Bear  is 
the  Indian  turnip  {Arum  tnphyllum),  which  is  so  pungent  that 


•N.  A.  Fauna,  No.  aa,  190a,  p.  64. 
'  Quad.  N.  A.,  1849,  Vol.  Ill,  p.  190. 


•Journey,  1795,  p.  370. 


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1082        Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 

we  have  seen  people  almost  distracted  by  it  when  they  had 
inadvertently  put  a  piece  in  their  mouth." 

Richardson,  when  on  the  Churchill  River  in  1848,  was 
shown  a  root  that  evidently  supplied  the  Bears  with  food.  He 
says  of  it:" 

"The  Actaea  alba  grows  abundantly  here.  It  is  called  by 
the  Canadians  le  racine  d'ours,  and  by  the  Crees  musqua-mitsu- 
in  (Bear's  food).  A  decoction  of  its  roots  and  of  the  top  of  the 
spruce  fir  is  used  as  a  drink  in  stomach  complaints." 

Throughout  the  summer  all  kinds  of  insects,  and  espe- 
cially ants,  are  important  Bear  food. 

In  the  sandhills  about  Carberry,  in  the  woods  about  Lake 
Winnipegosis,  throughout  the  Bitterroot  Mountains  of  Idaho, 
and  on  the  ranges  of  the  upper  Yellowstone,  as  well  as  in  the 
Rockies  of  Colorado  and  the  Low  Laurentians  of  the  upper 
Ottawa,  I  have  found  that  ants'  nests  furnished  the  Bear  with 
an  important  article  of  food.  Following  the  trail  of  one,  I 
have  found  that  it  invariably  turned  over  every  log  and  flat 
stone  that  it  came  to,  and  ripped  open  every  rotten  log  and 
stump  in  its  search  for  insects,  the  greater  part  of  which  must 
have  been  ants.  Among  the  Bitterroot  Mountains  I  have,  in 
a  single  day,  passed  hundreds  of  these  demolished  logs  and 
stumps. 

In  the  Adirondacks,  according  to  Merriam,*'  the  Black- 
bear  "  delights  in  tearing  open  old  stumps  and  logs  in  search 
of  the  ants  that  make  their  homes  in  such  situations.  *  ♦  *  " 

"While  fishing  in  the  North  Bay  of  Big  Moose  Lake,  dur- 
ing the  summer  of  188 1,  Mr.  Harry  Burell  Miller,  of  New  York 
City,  heard  a  Bear  tearing  down  an  old  stump  that  stood  on  a 
point  in  the  bay.  His  guide,  Richard  Crego,  noiselessly 
paddled  him  to  the  spot,  and  he  killed  the  Bear  with  one  ball 
from  his  rifle.  Its  stomach  contained  about  a  quart  of  ants 
and  their  eggs." 

As  summer  wears  on,  the  Blackbears  of  the  Pacific  water- 
shed have  a  new  supply  in  the  myriads  of  salmon  with  which 

"Are.  Search  Exp.  of  1848  (1831),  Vol.  I,  p.  82. 
"  Mam.  Adir.,  1884,  p.  95. 


1 


Blackbear  loss 

every  clear  stream  is  teeming.  And  those  of  the  east  find  a 
correspondmg,  though  smaller,  supply  in  the  suckers  and  other 
swimming  spawners. 

Berries,  now,  begin  to  ripen,  and  furnish  another  bountiful 
resource  Strawberries,  blackberries,  and  raspberries  allure 
the  Bear  from  other  foods,  and  strike  .n  .  q^iitable  bargain  for 
their  gifts.  In  return  for  their  de.  i:nus  pulp,  th.-  Bears  scatter 
excrementally  the  unimpaired  seec  s  of  these  fiuiu,and  thus  sow 
the  waste  places  near  and  far.  Cr.s^ouently,  v.hen  the  condi- 
tions  become  at  all  favourable,  there  is  an  abundant  supply  of 
berry  seed  to  take  advantage  of  the  opportunity.  Thus  a 
region  devastated  by  fire  is  immediately  and  unwittingly  sown 
with  berry  seeds  by  the  Bears.  wi:o,  however  unconscious  they 
may  be  of  their  share  in  the  planting,  are  not  slow  to  come  and 
glean  their  own  harvest. 

A  pleasing  variation  of  late  summer  foods  is  found  in  the 
nests  of  several  species  of  wasps,  as  well  as  of  wild  bees 

According  to  Merriam,"  the  Bear  "digs  qut  the  nests  of 
the  yellow-jackets,'  devouring  both  the  wasps  themselves  and 
the  comb  containing  their  honey  and  grubs.  So  fond  is  he  of 
honey  that  he  never  misses  an  opportunity  to  rob  a  'bee  tree  ' 
manifesting  no  fear  of  the  bees  that  angrily  swarm  about  him 
his  thick  hair  and  tough  hide  protecting  him  from  their  stings. 
When  plundering  the  apnle  orchard  he  is  said  to  touch  only  the 
sweetest  fruit." 

Similar  testimony  is  given  by  Captain  J.  P.  McCown  - 
who  observed  the  Blackbear  in  Tennessee. 

On  September  21,  1905,  at  Lake  Caughnawana,  40  miles 
east  of  Kippewa,  Quebec,  I  found  that  a  Bear  I  was  tracking 
had  stopped  at  a  rotten  log  to  dig  out  a  wasp's  nest  a  few 
minutes  before;  the  comb,  in  pieces,  was  scattered  about,  and 
a  number  of  the  yellow-jackets  hovered  angrily  over  the  ruins 
of  their  home. 

On  the  upper  Red  River,  in  i8oo,  when  Blackbcars 
abounded,  Henry  writes,"  September  22; 


'Ibid.,  pp.  95H5. 

"  Journal,  1897,  P-  loi. 


•  Aud.  &  Bach.,  1849,  Vol.  in,  p.  19s. 


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1084        Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 

"  Bears  make  prodigious  ravages  in  the  brush  and  willows. 
The  plum-trees  are  torn  to  pieces,  and  every  tree  that  bears 
fruit  has  shared  the  same  fate;  the  tops  of  the  oaks  are  also 
very  roughly  handled,  broken,  and  torn  down  to  get  the  acorns. 
The  havoc  they  commit  is  astounding;  their  dung  lies  about 
in  the  woods  as  plentiful  as  that  of  the  Buffalo  in  the  meadow." 

Autumn  arriving  with  its  showers  of  beechnuts,  acorns, 
and  other  such  food,  gives  all  wild  creatures  a  notable  chance  to 
gather  for  the  coming  cold.  All  work  hard  to  profit  by  the 
opportunity,  storing  inside  their  skins  or  dens  as  their  custom 
may  be,  and  none  work  harder  or  more  successfully  than  the 
Bear. 

It  labours  without  ceasing  till  nature  comes  with  the 
snow-clouds  and  abnormally  ends  the  feast  by  spreading  th( 
white  cloth. 

But  the  Bear  has  no  notion  of  quitting  the  delights  of 
active  life  for  the  dull  monotony  of  a  winter's  sleep  any  sooner 
than  possible,  and,  roaming  still  in  search  of  food,  is  often  led 
into  mischief,  killing  on  such  occasions  calves  and  sheep  in  the 
field  or  even  pigs  in  the  sty. 

At  such  times  it  i:as  even  been  guilty  of  cannibalism. 
George  Crawford  (Mittigwab),  an  Indian  of  Kipnewa,  told 
me  of  a  case  that  he  observed  on  the  Upper  Ottawa,  about 
1890.  He  tracked  a  very  big  Bear  in  the  snow  to  where  it  had 
hunted  out  another  that  was  already  denned  up,  and  had 
devoured  it  all  but  the  jaws.  The  big  fellow  had  feasted  for 
two  days,  sleeping  in  the  den  of  the  victim,  and  coming  out  only 
to  eat  or  else  to  drop  dung,  of  which  there  was  an  immense 
quantity  outside. 

Colder  weather,  deeper  snow,  and  scarcer  food  at  length 
unite  in  peremptory  order  to  the  Bears — *  Go  now  and  den  for 
a  time.*  First  to  obey  are  the  females,  that  must  have  a  good 
abode  suitable  for  nursery,  rather  than  a  mere  storm-break; 
last  the  males,  that  are  content  to  rough  it,  and  by  being  late 
to  bed  and  early  to  rise,  get  that  much  more  out  of  life.  When 
the  Winter  King  is  reigning  supreme,  there  is  no  evidence  of 
such  a  thing  as  a  Blackbear  in  the  woods. 


Fig.  247— Bear-tnu;ks 

Tlw  seHM  on  the  left  side  are  tncki  of  a  large  Kadiak  <;riz>)v   sket-hoil  In  w>«Ki.«*».  t— . 

Li's.'i%''^,'f -likr/"'"' ""- ""■"» "p--."  T&y'Xisi.'", jj'!S'i'^"t,o^°s 

'""■U"  '*y!u°°5'  v."«""  ''?-'"  "•  '~'"  ■>'  •  B'«'kl>«ai  ohi,rY«i  in  the  maunt>li<s  ol  Colo. 
nKlo  /f.llioriifht  front,  C,  th,  right  hlndfoot.  ThM.  showed  but  4  loS  Sand  liSw 
•iir  cUwi.  nlthouith  in  lU  raspocli  the  indiTidml  wu  nonii»l.  ^^^ 


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SPRING 
ADVENT 


1086        Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 

Countless  Bears  have  been  seen  and  slain  in  their  winter 
dens,  but  I  know  of  only  one  man  who  had  the  good  luck  to 
see  an  old  Bear  at  the  time  when  first  it  emerged  in  the  spring. 
That  man  was  Bert  A.  Dobson,  my  Adirondack  guide. 

It  was  in  mid-April  of  1906;  he  and  his  partner  were  log 
driving  on  Fish  Creek,  Lewis  County,  N.  Y.  As  they  sat  on 
the  bank  waiting  for  the  drive,  an  enormous  Blackbear  ap- 
peared on  the  opposite  side  of  the  stream.  It  gazed  stupidly 
at  them,  sniffed,  walked  to  the  water,  within  30  yards  of  the 
loggers,  and  drank  long  and  greedily,  so  long  that  its  front  legs 
seemed  tired  of  stooping.  Presently  it  straightened  up,  sniffed, 
gazed,  and  again  drank  heavily.  Three  times  it  did  this,  till  it 
seemed  distended  with  water.  Then  it  crossed  the  stream, 
still  sniffing  and  gazing  in  a  dazed  fashion,  and  walked  past  the 
men.  They  noticed  that  it  was  an  enormrus  Bear  and  that  its 
cheeks  were  grizzled. 

After  it  was  gone  they  followed  its  back  track  in  the  snow, 
and  250  yards  away  came  to  a  small  pine  tree  that  was  deeply 
scored  by  the  teeth  of  a  Bear  at  5  or  6  feet  from  the  ground. 
Pieces  had  been  torn  out  recently  and  to  such  an  extent  that 
the  crunk  was  nearly  cut  through.  On  following  the  trail  100 
yards  farther,  it  led  to  an  enormous  hollow  pine  tree  and  there 
ended.  This  proved  to  be  the  winter  den.  Evidently  they 
had  seen  the  Bear  taking  its  first  drink. 

This  Bear,  known  by  its  size  and  its  gray  cheeks,  was 
killed  a  year  later  at  a  place  2^  miles  from  the  den,  and  is  said 
to  have  weighed  400  pounds. 


MEAT 


There  is  the  widest  range  of  opinion  on  the  fitness  of  the 
Bear  for  human  food,  and  circumstances  seem  to  justify  all 
extremes.  If  a  young  but  full-grown  Bear,  recently  fattened 
on  grains,  roots,  and  berries,  be  quickly  and  mercifully  killed 
and  the  carcass  properly  cleaned,  skinned  and  prepared,  the 
meat  is  excellent.  But  if  an  old  Bear,  tough,  lean,  or  carrion- 
fed,  or  finally  killed  after  a  long  pursuit  in  warm  weather,  the 
meat  is  little  better  than  poison.  The  very  dogs  will  pass  it 
by  in  disgust;  it  has  attractions  for  nothing  but  flies. 


■ia 


I'l.ATE  XriX.  — SCATOI.rK-.V  OK  rKRTAIX   BEARS. 

Ith.'lir.'r       »,'i;I.r?i;'"i'^^''^','^"*''"'  '•  '""7l"aluraisi«-l.     Chiclly  grass  with  fruit  aii.lwils 

also  much  rmc  h.jr  tha.'miKh.  havl-Kt™  I'g  :«"d:^S  "u  t^  hTi.ks  Jf  i  a^I^'  Eachl'7'^.^''''  "'"f'"''  ''"J 
lna«!"ls  ms.de.      Ihe  pile  «as  many  days,  maybe  two  or  three  weeks  old.  pece  was  trawhng  with 


rm 


rJ  : 


gggjS^^BK 


Blackbear 


1087 


This  Bear  is  a  shy,  inoflFcnsive  animal.  A  dangerous 
Blackbear  is  much  less  frequent  than  a  dangerous  dog  or  bull, 
and  I  am  in  favour  of  not  only  repealing  all  laws  granting 
bounties  for  killing  Bears,  but  of  putting  the  Blackbear  on  the 
protected  list,  as  a  high-class  game  animal. 


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XLVIII. 

Common  Shrew,  Cooper  Shrew,  or  Masked  Shrew. 

Sorex  personatus  I.  G.  St.  Hilairc. 
(L  Sonx,  a  ihrew;  ptrsoHOlus,  masked,  probably  becauae  iu  eyet  and  ear*  are 

hidden.) 

Sorex  persotwtus  I.  Geoff.  St.  Hilaire,  1827,  Mem.  Mus. 
Hi8.  Nat.,  Paris  XV,  p.  122. 

Type  Locality.— Eastern  United  States,  probably  New 
York. 

French  Canadian,  la  Musaraigne. 

The  Family,  Soricida  or  Shrews,  comprises  small  mouse- 
Itke  creatures,  but  most  of  them  are  smaller  than  any  Mouse, 

and  in  anatomy  as  different  from 
the  Mice  as  a  small  Badger  is  from 
a  big  gray  Rabbit.  This  we  should 
realize  if  we  could  set  together  a 
Mouse  and  a  Shrew,  each  magni- 
fied to  the  size  of  a  sheep.  Their 
most  striking  peculiarity  is  the  ab- 
sence,  or  apparent  absence,  of  eyes 
and  ears;  next,  their  long  sharp  nose,  and  last,  but  of  most 
importance,  their  teeth.  On  comparing  the  skulls  of  Mouse 
and  bhrew  we  shall  see  more  clearly  the  distinctive  peculi- 
arities of  these.  Even  in  color  they  differ,  those  of  Mice 
being  clear  yellow  or  whitish,  while  those  of  Shrews  are 
usually  more  or  less  stained  with  chestnut  at  the  tips. 

Side  by  side  on  a  large  scale  (Figs.  249  and  250)  the 
great  divergencies  of  their  skulls  appear.   They  suggest  the  hip- 

1091 


Fio.  148— Hnd  ei  S.  ttnonatm  to 

illustrate  the  muk. 

(Twice  life  .far    .1.  oal.) 


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low        Life-historic8  of  Northern  Animals 

popotamus  and  crocodile.  And  every  little  bump  and  line  ha« 
a  meaning— is  evidence  and  record  of  the  old  old  fight.  There 
are  indeed  wonderful  histories  written  in  these  small  teeth  and 


Fig.  25o-Skull  ol  Cooptr  Shrew  (5.  ptrtanalm).    (Eight  lime*  Mturii  liit.) 


skulls.  Not  in  greater  degree,  perhaps,  than  in  every  tissue 
and  fibre,  but  these  are  more  lasting  and  preservable,  and 
though  the  clumsy  hand  may  destroy  them  by  violence,  it 
cannot  tamper  with  them  as  records;  there  they  are  m 
their  superlative  delicacy  and  mean"  for  those  who  can 
read  them. 


i  ii 


^asm 


tmm 


m 


Cooper  Shrew  1098 

And  in  so  doing  it  is  difficult  to  give  them  overvalue.  The 
heedless  crushing  of  one  of  these  wonderful  little  caskets  of 
information  shocks  the  naturalist  with  much  the  same  feeling 
as  that  an  art  connoisseur  might  experience  on  seeing  some 
imbecile  destroy  a  Rembrandt  etching  or  a  Tanagra  figurine 


■.  Stnm  P«¥t9M»tUt. 


J.  MiemtortM  fuyi. 

The  genus  5or.x  (Linn,  1758)  is  further  characterized  by 
very  small  size,  dull  gray  or  brown  colours,  and  long  tail,  that  is 
over  half  the  length  of  the  head  and  body. 

The  dental  formula  is: 


Inc.  1=+; 
2-2 


I~I  2-2  3-3 

can-  — -;  prem.  — ;  mol.  i^  - 
0-0  i-i  3_3 


32 


'=f  i'. 


1094       Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 

But  the  teeth  are  so  unlike  those  usually  called  by  these 
names,  that  it  is  easy  to  wrongly  identify  them. 

It  is  common  to  call  the  upper  incisors  (exclusive  of  the 
first)  and  the  canines,  unicuspids,  because  of  the"  single 
point  or  cusp.  The  form  of  the  teeth  is  greatly  cha  "  d  by 
wear. 


m 


The  Common  Shrew  (Plate  C)  agrees  with  its  Family  and 
genus;  it  is  further  a  very  small  species  and  has  the  unicus- 
pids gradually  decreasing  in  size  from  front  to  back;  thus  the 
third  unicuspid  (/.  e.,  fourth  incisor)  is  larger  than  the  fourth 
unicuspid  or  canine  tooth  (see  Figs.  250  and  251— i). 

SIZE  The  average  total  length  is  about  3H  inches  (100  mm.), 

of  which  the  tail  is  lA  inches  (40  mm.);  the  hind-foot  about 
\  inch  (13  mm.). 

wEiGriT  Merriam   weighed    an   Adirondack   specimen   at   43.95 

grains  (2.85  grammes),  and  he  considered  it  a  very  large  one.* 
J.  H.  Linsley  weighed  one  at  47  grains,'  and  Professor  S.  F. 
Baird  another  at  37  grains.'  I  found  a  Cos  Cob  specimen  to 
weigh  3.1  grammes  (47.8  grains). 

COLOUR  The  summer  coat,  above,  sepia  brown  mixed  with  dark- 

tipped  hairs;  shaded  into  ashy  white  or  fawn  below;  tail,  dark 
brownish  above  and  all  around  at  tip,  whitish  below,  rather 
sharply  defined,  /".  e.,  tail  bicolored. 

Winter  coat,  more  grayish  above  and  lighter,  sometimes 
pure  white  below. 

A  chestnut  phase  is  sometimes  found.  The  sexes  are 
alike. 

This  wide  ranging  species  has  but  4  recognized  races: 

personatus  G.  St.  Hilaire,  the  typical  form. 
streatort  Merriam,  slightly  larger  J*nd  darker. 
arcticus  Merriam,  paler,  and  with  longer  tail. 
miscix  Bangs,  larger  and  paler  than  true  personatus. 


'  Mam.  Adir.,  1884,  p.  174. 

•  Pac.  R.  Rep.,  1857,  Vol.  VIII,  p.  a6. 


'  Zool.  N.  v.,  184a,  Pt.  I,  p.  93. 


44 

-/  /J^^^ 

/        /    7^1  'N,  (T — ^"^ 

(J    1   H  trP 

>s^-44,  > 

•yi^K^HT 

\ 

'w^^^!>%^/ 

/    "^JOv^-^vjT    '^ 

vl  -"»    *  \ 

■/— P        ^i       N.    '""■'''*            "f        O     V     L 

,                   1                          Y V — 1  -         ^'***  ** 

"'"~~~~~— J                                       1              .W                     ^       HEX 

ewea*     -■■ r *»    • 

Kuronin     1     .^                             > 

■-== 

7      ■  <-  "^ 

4:^= 

r   * 

^  m"                in'           ~ 
j*    "    '    S    0      , 

0              H.iia>>u> 

^ 

4- 

1 ^       *^' i- 

••^  ca,  «.r. 

MAP  57— RAHOE  OF  THE  COMMON  SHREW  AUD  ITS  FOUR  RACES. 

Sonx  fitnonalut  I.  G.  St.  HiUire. 

Th»  autlinn  «how  thf  Ihcorrticml  ran«.  The  spoto  «rr  actual  rrcordj  they  are  i  hif  fly  from  C.  Hart  Merriam'i  Synopaia,  and  G.  S.  Miilcr'a 
Loni-taiird  Shrews  with  other*  by  Meiita.  S.  N.  RhoMla,  W.  H.  Ovcxid,  E.  A.  Pnbk,  A.  P.  Low,  J.  A.  AUen,  O  BaBnTL  M.  Taraer.  S.  F. 
Baird,  J.  D.  FiOina,  J.  Maoouo,  and  E.  T.  Sctoo. 

10Q5 


1096       Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 


Life-history, 


RANGE 


im 


INDI- 
VIDUAL 
RANGE 


This  is  the  widest  ranging  of  our  Shrews,  as  will  be  seen 
by  Map  No.  57.  It  has  been  taken  at  Norway  House  and 
Turtle  Mountain.  I  found  it  at  Kenora,  Carberry,  Winnipeg, 
Pilot  Mound,  and  Duck  Mountain,  so  doubtless  it  is  generally 
distributed  throughout  Manitoba. 

We  have  but  little  evidence  on  the  individual  range. 
Analogy  would  lead  one  to  believe  that  an  acre  was  an  ample 
kingdom  for  such  a  pigmy,  but  the  light  afforded  by  Nelson's 
notes  on  the  Yukon,  cited  later,  shows  that  it  may  travel  a  mile 
or  two  from  home  at  certain  seasons. 


.•::*! 


MIGRA- 
TION 


These  Alaska  observations  seem  to  point  also  to  an  exten- 
sive migration  at  the  beginning  of  winter.  It  may  be  a  regular 
migration  or  it  may  be  a  mere  land  rush  for  good  claims 
whereon  to  settle  for  winter. 


i'  :     I 


:M. 


ENVI- 
RON- 
MENT 


Although  considered  a  woodland  species,  I  found  it 
abundant  on  the  grassy  prairies,  near  scrubby  hollows  and 
sloughs.  It  is  but  slightly  subterranean  and  is  incapable  of 
climbing.  Its  favourite  surroundings  are  in  grassy  tangles  and 
brushy  labyrinths  of  roots  and  fallen  branches  by  the  side  of 
streams  or  ponds;  it  is  never  found  far  from  water  and  yet  it 
is  not  in  the  least  aquatic. 

Its  perfect  fitting  into  its  allotted  surroundings  is  thus 
graphically  pictured  by  Merriam :  * 

"The  naturalist  well  knows  that,  however  cautiously  he 
may  walk,  the  stir  of  his  footstep  puts  to  flight  many  forms  of 
life  that  will  reappear  as  soon  as  quiet  is  restored;  therefore, 
in  his  excursions  through  the  woods,  he  waits  and  watches, 
frequently  stopping  to  listen  and  observe.  While  thus  occupied 
it  sometimes  happens  that  a  slight  rustling  reaches  his  ear. 
There  is  no  wind,  but  the  eye  rests  upon  a  fallen  leaf  that  seems 

'Mam.  Adir,  1884,  p.  173. 


S.piT!U)na(u.H 


S.richanliioni 


M.huyi 


ni 


PLATE  C. 


-THE  SHREWS  FOUND  IN  MANTrOBA. 
Drawn  hy  E.  T.  Seton. 
Fmm  sprcimeiu  ntpplicd  by  the  Binlugical  Survey,  U.  S.  Dcp.  t\fi. 


t^SBs^mBaaa 


o 


.r^'^ 


r.'J'  .  t 


M 


Cooper  Shrew 


1097 


to  move.  Presently  another  stirs,  and  perhaps  a  third  turns 
completely  over.  Then  something  evanescent,  like  the  shadow 
of  an  embryonic  Mouse,  appears  and  vanishes  before  the  retina 
can  catch  its  perfect  image.  Anon,  the  restless  phantom  flits 
across  an  open  space,  leaving  no  trace  behind.  But  a  charge 
of  fine  shot,  dropped  with  quick  aim  upon  the  next  leaf  that 
moves,  will  usually  solve  the  mystery.  The  author  of  the  per- 
plexing commotion  is  found  to  be  a  curious,  sharp-nosed  creat- 
ure, no  bigger  than  one's  little  finger,  and  weighing  hardly 
more  than  half  a  dram.  Its  ceaseless  activity  and  the  rapidity 
with  which  it  darts  from  place  to  place  is  truly  astonishing, 
and  rarely  permits  the  observer  a  correct  impression  of  its 
form." 


1  m 


I 


i  11 


^1 


At  Carberry  it  was  the  most  abundant  of  the  Shrews,  num. 

BERS 

I  captured  a  dozer  of  them  in  6  traps  during  August,  1884, 
the  traps  being  kept  in  the  same  places  along  the  edge  of  a 
slough  half  a  mile  in  extent. 

In  the  Adirondacks  they  abound,  and  Merriam  speaks  of 
killing  1 1  in  one  day  under  haycocks  that  had  been  standing 
a  few  days  in  the  rain. 

Like  most  of  our  small  mammals,  it  is  subject  to  periodic 
fluctuation  of  numbers  without  evident  cause.  In  1882  and 
1884,  it  was  unusually  numerous  in  Manitoba. 

The  human  ear  can  hardly  hear  the  high-pitched  squeak-  voice 
ing  that  is  the  only  known  sound  of  this  small  beast,  and  there 
is  every  reason  to  believe  that  this  is  varied  to  express  their 
simple  emotions,  and  even  to  serve  as  a  song. 

Many  times  in  the  quiet  summer  and  early  autumn 
evenings  I  have  heard  in  the  low  thickets  about  the  sloughs 
of  Manitoba,  n  faint  small  voice,  a  twittering,  so  fine  and 
high  that  it  was  not  easily  traced.  It  could  not  have  been 
far  away,  and  no  bird  was  seen  to  suggest  the  singer.  I 
think  it  probable  that  this  was  the  song  of  a  Sorex. 

Most,  perhaps  all,  our  Shrews  have  smell-glands  on  their 
sides  or  lower  parts;  the  extent  and  purpose  of  thp«e  have  not 


if 


n 


H 


I  if 


'  h 


fi 


.^  ■  ^ 


;^;j 


Ti 


t 


'I 


J^^ 


:i-rii 


1^^! 


I 


|:!f 


■  "  -  ■         Itt. 


SOCIA- 
BlUTY 


DEN 


MATING 


1098        Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 

yet  been  worked  out,  and  are  not  likely  to  be  very  soon,  for  they 
are  at  present  beyond  our  sense  power  to  gauge  or  analyze. 
The  genius  who  invents  an  odoronieter  will  open  a  new  and 
wonderful  world  to  the  ken  of  man. 

Although  so  numerous,  the  Masked  Shrew  is  neither  gre- 
garious nor  sociable.  Indeed,  it  is  unsociable  to  the  point  of 
ferocity.  Whenever  two  of  them  fell  into  one  of  the  pitfalls 
that  I  used  for  their  capture,  the  stronger  one  invariably  attacked 
and  devoured  his  weaker  brother. 

Merriam  also  says  :*  "I  once  confined  three  of  them  under 
an  ordinary  tumbler.  Almost  immediately  they  commenced 
fighting,  and  in  a  few  minutes  one  was  slaughtered  and  eaten  by 
the  other  two.  Before  night,  one  of  these  killed  and  ate  its 
only  surviving  companion,  and  its  abdomen  was  much  dis- 
tended by  the  meal." 

The  only  record  I  can  find  of  two  being  together  without  a 
murderous  fight  is  that  given  by  Herrick  (quoted  later),  and 
these  I  presume  were  a  pair. 

This  species  is  not  known  to  tunnel  or  burrow.  Its  life 
is  spent  above  ground,  and  its  home-nest  is  in  any  sheltered 
spot,  not  too  far  from  the  level  of  the  earth.     Merriam  says:* 

"Whenever  a  tree  or  a  large  limb  falls  to  the  ground,  these 
Shrews  soon  find  it,  examining  every  part  with  great  care,  and 
if  a  knot-hole  or  crevice  is  detected,  leading  to  a  cavity  within, 
they  are  pretty  sure  to  enter,  carry  in  materials  for  a  nest,  and 
take  formal  possession.  Hence  their  homes  are  not  infre- 
quently discovered  and  destroyed  by  the  wood-chopper." 

We  have  very  little  light  on  the  mating  of  the  Shrews. 
All  the  evidence  goes  to  show  that  the  species  may  mate  and 
multiply  with  little  regard  to  season;  that  is,  young  may  be 
found  at  any  time,  except  in  winter. 

Whether  they  pair  or  are  polygamous  or  promiscuous  is 
not  known.     But  it  is  a  general  rule  that  animals  which  are 

•Mam.  Adir.,  1884,  p.  174.  'Ibid.,  p.  174. 


rfiiAMttMi 


h.-M 


Cooper  Shrew 


1099 


so  ferociously  quarrelsome  and  cannibal  as  these,  do  indeed 
pair,  though  the  two  continue  together  for  a  brief  season  only, 
perhaps  an  hour  or  two  during  the  season  of  meridian  ardour] 
then  part  to  meet  no  more  as  friends. 

The  only  facts  bearing  on  the  case  I  find  in  Herrick's 
"  Mammals  of  Minnesota."  His  account  is  so  charming,  and 
new,  that  I  give  it  in  full.'  Not  the  least  important  feature 
is  the  date — November. 

"In  November,  1883,  the  writer  lay  encamped  under  the 
canopy  of  the  sky  in  Pine  County,  Minn.,  endeavouring  to 
escape  the  chill  of  the  frosty  air  by  drawing  the  blanket  close 
and  hovering  nearer  the  camp-fire.    To  a  person  alone  in  the 
woods  for  the  first  time  after  a  long  interval,  every  sound  is 
novel  and   more  or  less  charged  with  mystery.     The  wind 
stirre-d  the  tree  tops,  and  impinging  boughs  clattered,  and  the 
trunks  groaned  under  the  tortion,  each  tree  with  its  own 
doleful  note.     The  few  remaining  pines  added  their  sighing 
to  the  many  melancholy  sounds  belonging  to  an  autumn  forest 
at  night.     But  amid  all  the  sounds  nothing  could  be  identified 
as  coming  from  anything  living,  even  the  distant  howling  of 
Wolves  was  silenced,  and  I  began  to  feel  that  the  attempt  to 
gain  personal  knowledge  of  the  ways  of  the  woodsy  mammals 
by  night  study  would  prove  futile,  and  composed  myself  to 
sleep.    The  half-somnolent  reverie  which  forms  the  prelude 
to  slumber  was  bYoken  by  faint  melodious  sounds  on  an  exces- 
sively high  key— so  high  that  it  seemed  that  I  might  be  simply 
hearing  the  lower  notes  of  an  elfin  symphony,   the  upper 
registers  in  which  were  beyond  the  powers  of  human  ears  to 
distinguish.    The  sounds  were  distinctly  musical,  and  reminded 
me  of  the  contented  twitter  of  birds  finding  resting  places  among 
the  boughs  at  night.    Without  moving,  I  turned  my  eyes  upon 
the  fire-lit  circle,  about  which  the  darkness  formed  an  appar- 
ently impenetrable  wall.    Only  the  most   careful   scrutiny 
enabled  me  to  discover  the  tiny  musicians.     Within  a  few  feet 
of  my  head,  upon  a  decayed  log,  raced  a  pair  of  Shrews  {S. 
coo  peri),'  so  minute  as  to  escape  my  observation  at  first.    Up 

'  Mam.  Minn.,  189a,  pp.  41-a.  •  5.  cooperi  -  S.  personatus. 


hi' I 


f 


1     ■.!!'' 


.   !*  ,■ 


■j       3 


' ''  1 

L  i>i 

HABITS 


1100        Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 

and  down,  with  the  most  sprightly  motions  imaginable,  they 
ran,  twittering  incessantly.  Hither  and  thither  they  scampered, 
over  my  clothing  and  almost  into  my  pockets,  like  veritable 
Lilliputians,  seizing  now  a  crumb  of  cheese,  with  which  my 
traps  were  baited,  and  now  a  bit  of  rish  fallen  from  my  impro- 
vised supper  table.  During  the  eating  the  conversation  was 
not  interrupted.  The  little  visitors  were  not  bashful  about 
criticising  the  housekeeping  of  their  host,  if  their  apparent 
amusement  can  thus  be  interpreted,  but  it  was  a  most  good- 
humoured  little  party,  nevertheless,  which  thus  unceremoniously 
ransacked  my  larder.  The  party  increased  in  numbers  and 
merriment,  until  I  was  almost  forced  to  believe  myself  an  unin- 
vited guest  within  the  magic  circle  of  Queen  Mab's  domain. 
I  watched  with  interest  the  result  of  their  intrusion  into  the 
traps  which  stood  about  for  the  capture  of  any  Red-backed 
Mouse  that  might  invade  my  camp,  but  Sorex  passed  entirely 
within,  and,  daintily  arching  his  back,  contentedly  nibbled  the 
cheese;  when  the  spring  rose  it  usually  suffered  but  a  short 
fright,  and  returned  to  finish  the  interrupted  meal.  Canned 
fish  seemed  to  be  more  acceptable  than  any  other  food  I  had 
to  offer.  Tiring  of  the  watching,  I  again  lay  down  to  sleep, 
during  which  time  elfin  voices  sounded  in  my  dreams.  AJbout 
midnight  one  of  the  little  imps  sprang  across  my  fact  in  so 
violent  a  way  as  to  partially  awaken  me,  and  thus,  as  good 
fortune  had  it,  I  was  awake  sufficiently  to  recognize  the  mean- 
ing of  a  sharp  crack  overhead,  and  sprang  out  of  my  bed  in  time 
to  see  it  occupied  by  a  massive  tree  trunk  which  the  fire  had 
burned  off  not  far  from  the  ground." 

These  tiny  creatures  run  by  day  as  well  as  by  night,  and 
the  only  apparent  use  of  their  rudimentary  eyes  is  to  tell  them 
when  they  are  emerging  from  safe  shadow  into  the  open  light 
with  its  great  increase  of  danger. 

I  captured  a  number  of  them  by  making  little  pitfalls  of 
pickle-jars,  sunken  level  in  runways,  made  by  lifting  a  pole  that 
had  long  lain  in  the  rank  grass,  and  found  that  the  efiiicacy  of 
this  trap  was  greatly  increased  if  a  raised  cover  were  put  over 


Cooper  Shrew 


1101 


each,  so  the  jar  was  a  shady  place  in  the  middle  of  an  open  run. 
The  Shrew  seemed  to  rush  along  the  tunnel  with  more  haste 
than  discretion,  and  so  was  made  prisoner. 

When  trapping  for  larger  creatures  and  using  a  meat  bait, 
one  often  finds  the  trap  sprung  without  catching  the  meddler. 
In  many  cases  I  have  traced  the  matter  home  to  this  little 
Shrew. 

In  the  early  spring,  while  yet  the  snow  is  deep  everywhere, 
the  sun-heat  gathered  by  the  long  projecting  grass,  melts  holes 
through  the  drift  to  the  ground  below.  These  shafts,  with  a 
strong  stalk  up  the  middle  of  each,  afford  a  tempting  opportunity 
to  scramble  into  the  big  world.  The  little  Shrews  often  yield  to 
the  temptation.  They  clamber  up  onto  the  vast  expanse  of 
snow  and,  setting  out  to  explore,  they  forget  the  way  back  to 
the  'elevator-shaft,'  and  get  lost.  The  snow  is  commonly 
crusted  at  this  season,  so  they  cannot  burrow,  and  usually 
they  die  in  a  few  hours,  not  from  cold,  but  from  hunger. 

A  number  of  curious  notes  on  the  subterranean  migration 
of  this  Shrew,  when  the  ground  is  covered  with  snow,  are  given 
by  Nelson  in  his  "Natural  History  of  Alaska."* 

"In  fall  [he  says]  the  first  severe  weather  brings  them 
about  the  trading  stations  and  native  villages,  and  there  they 
forage  and  penetrate  every  corner  of  the  houses  with  all  the 
persistence  of  the  domestic  Mouse.  Scores  of  them  were 
killed  about  our  houses  at  Saint  Michael  every  winter,  and 
they  were  equally  numerous  at  the  other  stations  throughout 
the  interior. 

**♦♦*♦♦ 
"After  snowfalls  they  travel  from  place  to  place  by 
forcing  a  passage  under  the  snow,  and  frequently  keep  so  near 
the  surface  that  a  slight  ridge  is  left  to  mark  their  passage.  On 
the  ice  of  the  Yukon  I  have  traced  a  ridge  of  this  kind  over  a 
mile,  and  was  repeatedly  surprised  to  see  what  a  direct  course 
the  Shrews  could  make  for  long  distances  under  the  surface. 
These  minute  tunnels  were  noted  again  and  again  crossing  the 
Yukon  from  bank  to  bank. 

•  Nat.  Hist.  Alaska,  1887,  pp.  870-1. 


f; 


\- 


1 1 


r-,ii 


'■'%  m 


iio«        Lifc-hi8toric8  of  Northern  Animals 

"  These  little  adventurers  sometimes  tunnel  far  out  on  the 
sea-ice,  and  the  Norton  Sound  Eskimo  have  a  curious  supersti- 
tion connected  with  such  stray  individuals.  They  claim  that 
there  is  a  kind  of  a  water  Shrew  living  on  the  ice  at  sea  which 
is  exactly  like  the  common  land  Shrew  in  appearance,  but  which 
is  endowed  with  demoniac  Quickness  and  power  to  work  harm. 
If  one  of  them  is  disturbed  by  a  person  it  darts  at  the  intruder, 
and  burrowing  under  the  skin,  works  about  inside  at  random, 
and  finally  enters  the  heart  and  kills  him.  As  a  consequence 
of  this  belief,  the  hunters  are  in  mortal  terror  if  they  chance  to 
meet  a  Shrew  on  the  ice  at  sea,  and  in  one  case  that  I  knew  of,  a 
hunter  stood  immovable  on  the  ice  for  several  hours  until  a 
Shrew  he  happened  to  meet  disappeared  from  sight,  whereupon 
he  hurried  home,  and  his  friends  all  agreed  that  he  had  had  a 
very  narrow  escape." 

ENEMIES  Many  hawks  and  owls  are  known  to  destroy  this  Shrew. 

At  Carberry,  September  29,  1884,  I  collected  a  great  gray-owl 
whose  capacious  maw  contained  nothing  but  one  of  these 
mites.  I  recently  received  another  specimen  taken  from  the 
stomach  of  a  rough-legged  hawk  at  Winnipeg,  October  21, 
1907.  Many  beasts  of  prey  will  prey  on  this  least  of  beasts; 
that  is,  they  will  kill  it,  but  it  has  a  defence  somewhat  like  that 
of  the  Skunk — a  most  obnoxious  smell,  which  usually  makes 
them  think  twice  before  swallowing  it.  I  have  often  found 
Shrews  dead  on  the  path  with  skulls  crushed,  but  otherwise 
uninjured.  These  I  believe  were  killed  by  Weasels  or  cats 
that  chanced  to  catch  tliem  scampering  by,  but  which,  on 
second  thought,  could  not  stomach  the  rank,  protective 
smell  with  which  the  Shrew  had  enveloped  itself — a  little  too 
late. 

Another  enemy  that  will  slay  but  hardly  eat  the  Sorex  is 
the  Mink.  Miller,  in  recording  the  capture  of  a  remarkably 
large  Mink  at  Peninsula  Harbor,  Ont.,  says:"  "He  had  fol- 
lowed the  water's  edge  closely  most  of  the  way,  but  occasionally 
had  made  short  excursions  up  the  beach  in  search  of  prey. 

"Mam.  Ont.,  Proc.  Bost.  Soc.  Nat.  Hist.,  1897,  p.  43. 


Cooper  Shrew 


IIOS 


On  one  of  these  side  expeditions  he  had  captured  a  Shrew 
(Sorex  personatus)  which  had  also  left  its  track  in  the  sand. 
The  trades  of  the  two  animals  showed  that  the  Shrew  was  not 
killed  until  he  had  led  his  enemy  a  sharply  zigzag  chase.  The 
Mink  left  the  tail  and  hind-quarters  of  the  Shrew  lying  on  the 
sand,  and  continued  his  way  directly  to  my  trap." 

At  Duck  Mountain,  Man.,  June  15,  1884,  I  found  a 
dead  Masked  Shrew  in  a  catbird's  nest  about  six  feet  from 
the  ground.  As  the  Shrew  could  not  have  climbed  there 
itself,  I  suspect  that  a  jay  or  shrike  had  killed  it  for  food, 
but  changed  his  mind  about  eating  it,  on  fully  realizing  the 
foul  deed  he  had  done. 

In  my  Journal  for  1882  I  find  a  note  that  may  record  a 
similar  incident: 

October  27,  1882,  while  examining  an  old  stump  in  the 
woods  to  the  north  of  Carberry,  I  met  with  an  excellent  illustra- 
tion of  the  aptitude  of  the  Spanish  name  for  the  woodpecker, 
•II  Carpentero,'  as  applied  to  our  flicker.  I  mean  in  the 
sense  of  its  being  a  worker  in  wood  and  house-provider  for 
others.  The  history  of  the  case  was  briefly  this,  as  far  as  the 
circumstantial  evidence  revealed  it: 

First  came  the  hard-working  flicker  and  excavated  the 
^<.h,  perhaps  while  yet  the  stump  was  sound,  andin  the  years 
that  followed  we  know  not  how  many  young  flickers  cracked 
their  glass-like  shells  in  this  narrow  chamber;  and  after  the 
flickers  came  no  more  it  was  taken  by  some  bird,  a  grakle 
perhaps,  that,  like  the  'foolish  man,  founded  his  nest  on  sand,' 
finishing  its  superstructure  with  mud,  sticks,  and  straw.  Next 
came  a  new  possessor,  who  built  a  strong  shapely  nest  o^  moss 
and  mud;  but  for  the  situation  it  might  have  been  the  work  of 
a  robin.  Lastly,  this  many-storied  tenement  house  became  the 
eyrie  of  a  sparrowhawk,  whose  household  furniture  of  straw 
and  moss  reached  half-way  up  tc  '  doorway.  A  strange  tale 
of  a  hole,  surely;  but  there  was  more  yet  to  be  learned  from  the 
old  stub,  and,  allowing  fullest  weigiit  to  circumstantial  evidence 
and  accepting  the  supposititious  as  fact,  I  may  be  allowed 
to  relate,  as  a  matter  of  established  history,  that  on  a  certain  day 


1104        Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 

Sir  Falco  sparvnius  brought  home  tu  his  brood  a  tiny  Shrew, 
of  the  species  yclept  by  scientists  the  Horex  personatus.  Now, 
it  chanced  that  the  young  houefuh  of  the  robber  baron  were 
not  just  then  very  hungry-  -ol. .  mai  .  Ih^as  chance — so  that  the 
Sortx  personatus,  being  left  to  his  own  devices,  set  about  to 
escape,  and  so  far  succeeded  that  he  burrowed  down  through 
the  home  effects  of  the  kestrel  and  the  moss-builder,  but  here 
the  hard  mud  floor  barred  fu'^thff  firopess,  and  the  poor 
little  captive,  weary  and  wounded,  khi  died  in  the  buried 
nest;  and  there  I  found  him,  lis:e  (jiru  vra  in  the  oaken 
chest,  when  long  afterwards  I  br'  kc  «)].«.  the  rotten  timber 
and  made  it  disclose  a  tragic  t;^  c  that,  r.i  <ybe,  never  hap- 
pened at  all. 


FOOD 


in^'i 


IS  k  Hi 


The  food  of  this  Shrew  is  chitrty  inse^  's  :>nd  worms,  with 
a  welcome  variation  when  flesh  meat  ot'  any  V  ud  h.  ppcns  to 
fall  in  its  way.  There  is  reason  to  believe  that  it  will  occa- 
sionally kill  and  devour  Field-mice,  and,  as  we  have  seen,  it 
is  very  ready  when  in  captivity  to  destroy  for  fos  d  the  Nveaker 
ones  of  its  own  species.  As  related,  Merriam  put  three  of 
them  together.  One  was  killed  and  eaten  by  his  companions; 
then  the  stronger  of  the  survivors  served  the  v)ther  in  the  same 
way.  "  Hence,"  he  says,  "  in  less  than  eight  hours  <  nc  of  these 
tiny  wild  beasts  had  attacked,  overcome,  and  i.i^enousiy 
consumed  two  of  its  own  species,  each  as  large  an<  heavy 
as  itself.  The  functions  of  digestion,  assimilation,  and  the 
elimination  of  waste  are  performed  with  wondertul  rapidity, 
and  it  seems  incomprehensible  that  they  she  id  be  able 
to  procure  suf'icirrt  animal  food  to  sustain  them  d  ring  our 
long  and  severe  winters;  indeed,  I  incline  to  believe  that  their 
diet  is  more  comprehensive  than  most  writers  suppose,  and  ♦■Hat 
they  feed  upon  beechnuts  and  a  variety  of  seeds,  and  possnly 
roots  z'-.  well,  though  I  confess  that  I  have  no  direct  eviden  to 
adduce  in  support  of  this  supposition." 

There  is,  however,  much  indirect  evidence.  Some  allied 
species  and  many  carnivores  are  known  to  do  this  very  thing 
when  they  fail  to  find  the  necessary  rations  ot  flesh  meat 


flMHM 


Cooper  Shrew 


1105 


The  appetites  of  Shrews  are  enormous  and  their  digestion 
is  rapid.  No  doubt  they  rat  their  o%vn  wnght  rf  food  every 
twenty-four  hour      and  thc\  die  ol  starvation  in  half  a  day. 

They  do  no      ibernate,  neither  are  thry  known  to  lay  uj 
a  store  of  tood,     ,  the  probh  m  of  U    i-suppjy  must  keep  them 
eternally  vigilan.  under  the  »iiow. 


MMM 


■I 


41 


SIZE 


COLOUR 


XLIX. 

Richardson  Shrew,  Black-backed  or  Saddle-backed 

Shrew. 

Sorex  richardsoni  Bachman. 

Sorex  richardsonii  Bach.,  1837.     Jour.  Acad.  Nat.  Sci.,  Phila., 
VII,  pt.  II,  383,  PI.  XXIV,  Fig.  5. 
Type  Locality. — Probably  plains  of  Saskatchewan. 

French  Canadian,  la  Musaraigne  de  Richardson. 

In  general,  this  species  (see  Plate  C)  combines  large  size 
and  a  rather  short  tail,  with  the  family  and  generic  char- 
acters. It  has  the  third  unicuspid  larger  than  the  fourth  (see 
Fig.  251—2),  and  its  fur  is  of  the  tricolour  style,  that  is,  in 
bands,  back  dark,  iides  lighter,  below  lightest;  each  colour  rather 
abruptly  defined  against  the  next. 

Total  length,  about  4J  inches  (114  mm.);    tail,  uS 
inches  (40  mm.);  hind-foot,  A  inch  (14  mm.). 

Above,  clear  dark  brown  not  sprinkled  with  hoary;  sides, 
dull  yellowish-brown  contrasted  against  back  and  belly  colour; 
below,  pale  brownish-white;  tail,  dark  above,  also  below  on  tip 
third,  else  below,  pale  brown,  that  is,  bicoloured  with  the  colours 
of  the  flanks  and  back. 


LiFE-HISTORY. 

RANGE  Very  little  is  known  about  the  range  of  this  Shrew.   The 

map  shows  all  the  reliable  records.    I  secured  3  specimens  in 
Manitoba,  2  at  Carberry,  and  i  at  Shoal  Lake.    Preble  got  9 

1106 


mm 


MAP  58— RAROB  OF  THB  BLACK-BACKED  SHREW. 
5am  richarjtaid  Bachman. 

1107 


J  -:*' 


It'. 


J  , 


;'a 


ENVI- 
RON- 
MENT 


1108        Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 

at  Norway  House'  and  E.  Hollis  got  one  at  Touchwood  Hills,* 
so  that  it  doubdess  ranges  throughout  Manitoba. 

It  is  always  found  near  the  water  and  is  probably  more 
aquatic  than  the  Cooper  Shrew.  The  Shoal  Lake  specimen  I 
found  floating  in  the  water  in  a  night-heronry.    It  was  a  mile 


ITS  CON- 
GENER 


Fw.  «5»— SkuU  o<  lUdunliaa  Shrew  (Si>r««  nekardnml).    (Double  utunl  liac) 

Fion  MvtUm'l  Syaopdl.    HMe  VI.  N.  A.  F«uii«  lo,  I«P5-    Blolojkll  Suprey.  U.  ».  D«IK.  Agr. 

at  least  from  dry  land,  and  most  likely  was  being  carried  to  the 
heronry  by  one  of  the  birds,  who  later  decided  that  the  speci- 
men was  not  savoury  enough  to  eat. 

Bailey  found  it  quite  common  at  Elk  River,  Minn.,  and 
much  like  the  Common  Shrew  in  habits.' 

The  above-mentioned  specimen,  recorded  by  Hollis,  was 
taken  with  cheese  bait,  November  7,  after  the  snow  had  fallen. 
It  was  but  ten  yards  from  wate*-. 

A  specimen  taken  at  Norway  House  by  Preble  on  June 
22  contained  6  embryos.* 

This  is  all  the  definite  information  I  can  find  concerning 
the  species. 

No  doubt  it  resembles  its  European  congener  (5.  araneus) 
in  habits  as  closely  as  it  does  in  appearance.  Bell  describes* 
the  latter  as  feeding  on  mollusks,  worms,  and  insects,  and  so 
pugnacious  that  two  are  rarely  seen  together  except  fighting. 
If  two  be  confined  in  the  same  box,  the  stronger  kills  and 
devours  the  weaker  one.  He  believes  that  they  arc  much 
preyed  on  by  Moles  and  owls.  Cats  also  will  kill  them,  but 
rarely  eat  them,  being  repelled  by  the  musky  smell. 

'  N.  A.  Fauna,  No.  as,  190a,  p.  73.  '  Zoologist,  August  15,  190a,  p.  897. 

» Rep.  Om.  and  Mam.  (or  1887  (pub.  1888),  U.  S.  Dep.  Agr.,  p.  435- 

•  Lk.  at.,  see  Note  i.  '  Br.  Quad.,  X874,  pp.  143-4- 


mmmm 


m 


Pigmy  Shrew,  or  Hoy  Shrew. 

Microsorex  hoyi  (Baird). 
(G-  micros,  smaU;  L.  sorex,  a  shrew;  h«yi  of  Dr.  P.  R.  Hoy  who  discovered  it.) 

Sorex  hoyi  Baird,  1857,  Mam.  N.  A.,  p.  32. 
Microsorex  hoyi  Elliot,   1901,  Syn.   Mam.   N.  A.,  Field. 
Mup.,  Zool.  Ser.,  Pub.  No.  45,  Vol.  II,  p.  377. 
Type  Locality.— Racine,  Wis. 

French  Canadian,  la  Musaraigne  dt;  Hoy. 

The  genus  Microsorex  (Baird,  1877)  may  be  known  by 
Its  small  size  and  peculiar  teeth  which  resemble  those  of  Sorex 
m  number  bu»  differ  in  their  proportionate  sizes,  etc.  (see  Fig. 
251— 3)-  Its  third  upper  unicuspid  is  very  minute  and  nearly 
hidden  between  the  second  and  fourth.  It  has  on  the  inner 
side  of  the  first  and  second  unicuspids  a  distinct  secondary 
cusp.  Its  mandible  is  short  and  heavy;  the  feet  are  not  ■ 
fringed  with  bristles,  that  is,  they  resemble  those  of  the  Com- 
mon  Shrew. 

At  first  glance  the  Hoy  Shrew  (see  Plate  C)  looks  like 
a  very  small  Masked  Shrew,  but  the  generic  characters  dis- 
tinguish it. 

Total  length,  about  3I  inches  (85  mm.);  tail,  i|  inches  sias 
(29  mm.);  hinc'^^vit,  f  inch  (10  mm  ). 

Above,  <i  own  shaded   gradually    into   pale  gray  colour 

below;  chest,  .y  tinged  with  rusty;    tail,  faintly  bicol- 

oured.    Every  v»..rd  of  which  will   apply  equally  well   to 

1100 


'    M 


K    .) 


MAP  59— RAlfGE  OF  HOY  SHREW  AHD  ITS  THREE  RACES. 

Snmr  Anjl  Baird. 

The  nullinc  ihaws  thr  ihforrtical  range.  All  the  lecordj  I  can  find  are  aponed  on  the  map.  Thej  are  (torn  C  Hart  Mentam'i  Sw<>(»l»i 
O.  S.  Miller's  Mam.  Out..  S.  F. baitda  MammaU,  E.  A.  Preble's  Keewatin.etc,  W. H. Osgood's  Cook'a  lolet, C C  Adams,  Nocthem  Jlidiifm; 
specimens  in  Field  Museum. 

lUO 


>  i/ 


Hoy  Shrew 


nil 


personatus,  so  that  we  must  rely  on  size  and  dentition  for 
identification. 


Three  races  are  recognized : 

hoyi  Baird,  the  typical  form. 
eximius  Osgood,  larger  and  paler. 
alnorum  Preble,  like  hoyi,  but  larger,  and  lower  parts 
not  tinged  with  buflFy. 

This,  the  least  of  our  beasts,  was  first  discovered  at  Racine, 
Wis.,  but  has  since  been  found  in  various  localities,  from 
Nova  Scotia  to  British  Columbia,  as  shown  on  the  map,  No.  59. 

Dr.  C.  Hart  Merriam  records'  a  specimen  from  Red 
River  Settlement.    On  this  rests  its  claim  to  being  Manitoban. 

Little  is  known  of  its  habits,  but  probably  they  differ 
little  from  those  of  Sorex  personatus. 

The  following  brief  account  is  the  longest  I  can  find:' 
"Hoy's  Shrew  avoids  bogs  and  heavy  woods.  At  North 
Bay  I  invariably  found  it  in  dry  clearings  and  gardens.  Several 
fell  into  pitfalls  dug  in  a  garden  and  others  entered  traps  set 
beneath  stumps  in  a  meadow.  The  one  taken  at  Peninsula 
Harbor  was  found  by  a  dog  under  the  rotting  trunk  of  a  small 
tree  in  an  open  upland  prairie. 

"A  female  taken  at  North  Bay  on  August  22  has  only  4 
mammae;  all  inguinal.  In  this  character  it  differs  from  Sorex 
personatus  and  agrees  with  Blarina  hrevicauda.  A  reduction 
in  the  number  of  mammae  is  probably  characteristic  of  the  sub- 
genus Microsorex."     {Miller.) 


'  N.  A.  Fauna,  No.  10,  p.  go,  1895. 


•Mam.  Ont.,  1897,  p.  37. 


< 


'■«'. 


'4 


SIZE 


COLOUR 


LI. 

Marsh-shrew,  Water-shrew,  or  Black-and-white 

Shrew. 

Neosorex  palustris  (Richardson). 
(Gr.  neos,  new;  L.  sortx,  a  shrew;  L.  palustris,  of  manhes.) 

Sorex  palustris  Rich.,  1828,  Zool.  Journ.,  Ill,  No.  12,  p.  517. 
Neosorex  palustris  Elliot,   1901,  Syn.   Mam.  N.  A.,  Field 

Mus.,  Zobl.  Ser.,  Pub.  45,  Vol.  II,  p.  3*»8. 
Type  Locality.— Region  between  Hudson  Bay  and  Rocky 

Mountains. 

French  Canadian,  la  Musaraigne  de  Marais. 

The  genus  Neosorex  (Baird,  1857)  's  much  like  Sorex,  but 
differs  in  having  greater  size,  different  colour  pattern,  and 
peculiar  feet;  these  are  adapted  for  swimming,  having  beau- 
tiful white  fringes  of  bristle-like  hair;  they  are,  indeed,  much 
like  the  feet  of  a  Muskrat  in  miniature. 

Its  teeth  differ  somewhat  from  those  of  Sorex  (see  Fig. 
251—4);  but  many  consider  the  differences  to  be  only  sub- 
generic.  It  is  easily  distinguished  from  the  other  Long-tailed 
Shrews  in  Manitoba  by  its  much  greater  size  and  black-and- 
white  style  of  colouration. 

Total  length,  6J  inches  (155  mm.);  tail,  2A  inches 
(65  mm.);  hind-foot,  |  inch  (19  mm.). 

All  above  dusky  brown,  or  very  dark  gray,  sprinkled  with 
hoary;  below  white,  silvery  in  some  lights;  dorsal  and  ventral 
areas  rather  sharply  defined  from  snout  to  tail  root;  tail, 
bicoloured,  blackish  above  and  all  around  near  tip,  white 
below. 

1112 


i  ?■ 


«i«i 


MAP  60— RABOE  OF  THB  WATBR-SHREW  AND  ITS  FOUR  RACES. 

N*Mt>MM  puiiu/ru  (Richatiiaon). 

1113 


m , 

t«  I 


1114       Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 

The  impression  it  gives  is  of  a  large  Long-tailed  Shrew, 
black  above,  white  below  (see  Plate  C). 

Preble  says:'  "A  specimen  received  from  Mr.  J.  K. 
MacDonald,  of  Norway  House,  who  obtained  it  from  the 
Indians,  is  in  full  winter  pelage.  It  resembles  the  specimen 
from  Robinson  Portage  taken  in  September,  except  that  the 
fur  of  the  back  is  tipped  with  whitish." 

Four  races  are  recognized: 

palustris  Rich.,  the  typical  form. 

navigator  Baird,  a  smaller  ar  '  more  plumbeous  race. 

albibarbts  Cope,  a  dark  bellied  race. 

alaskanus  Merriam,  like  navigator  but  smaller. 


r.\ 


RAK 


ENVIRON- 
MENT 


Life-history. 

Manitoba  is  about  the  middle  of  the  range  accredited  to 
this  Shrew,  but  the  only  recorded  specimen  taken  in  the 
Province  was  one  which  I  captured  at  Carberry  in  1884  and 
sent  to  the  American  Museum  of  Natural  History  in  New 
York.  Preble's  specimens,  with  other  records,  fairly  surround 
the  Province,  so  that  it  is  to  be  looked  for  in  all  parts  of  Manitoba. 

The  species  is  aquatic,  inhabiting  the  borders  of  streams 
and  marshes.  My  Carberry  specimen  was  captured  in  a  sedge 
by  a  slough.  The  Indians  who  brought  the  Norway  House 
specimen  to  MacDonald  called  it  'Beaver-mouse,'  because 
it  was  found  in  the  houses  of  the  Beaver.  Samuel  Hearne  says* 
that  in  the  Hudson  Bay  Territories  "the  Shrew  Mouse  is 
frequently  found  in  Beaver  houses  during  winter,  wh*-;'^  they 
not  only  find  a  warm  habitation,  but  also  pick  up  a  comfortable 
livelihood  from  the  scraps  left  by  the  Beaver." 

HABITS  From  the  preceding  we  may  rightly  infer  that  it  was  a 

good  swimmer.    Professor  John  '  lacoun  tells  me  that  he  has 

'  N.  A.  Fauna,  No.  aa,  190a,  pp.  71-a.  »  Journey,  1795,  p.  386. 


Marsh-shrew  1115 

wen  it  in  the  clear  open  waters  of  a  mountain  brook  at 
Crow  8  Nest  Pass,  B.  C.  It  darted  about  swiftly  in  the  current, 
without  apparent  effort,  the  snout  and  back  only  out 

jj  y;.?^"*y  ^?""'^  "  "^"  ''^^^^^  *»  Elk  River,  Minn.,  and 
adds,  I  have  always  found  them  living  in  holes  in  creek  banks- 
in  the  sprmg  of  1886  a  neighbour  caught  and  gave  me  one  that 
he  found  swimming  in  a  small  pond  of  snow  water  in  a  hollow 
near  his  house." 

My  Carberry  specimen  was  captured  August  28,  1884.  in 
the  runway  of  a  Marsh-mousc,  and  I  doubt  not  it  preys  on 
them  regularly.     It  was  a  female  evidenriy  suckling  young. 

Here  our  knowledge  of  its  habits  ends.  The  best  we  can 
do  IS  turn  to  the  uncertain  light  of  analogy. 

The  Crossopus  is  a  European  congener  that  may  help  in 
this.  It  IS  a  specits  that  leads  the  life  of  a  miniature  Otter 
swimming  and  diving  with  the  greatest  case,  and  taking  to  the 
water  as  an  escape  from  its  enemies.  It  feeds  on  flesh,  insects, 
and  mollusks,  and  nests  in  a  hole  in  a  bank  by  the  water 

According  to  Bell « it  produces  6  young  at  a  brood. 


LII. 
The  Short-tailed  Shrew  or  Mole-shrew. 


1  ^^  \ 


■■■{    ^ 


t'l 


SIZE 


Blarina  hrevicauda  (Say). 

(Bhrina,  a  name  made  up  by  Gimy  in  1837;  hrevifauda,  from  L.  Ifrevis,  ihort,  and 

cavda,  a  tail.) 

Sorex  hrevicaudus  Say,  1823,  Long's  Exp.  Rocky  Mts.,  I,  p. 

164. 
Blarina  hrevicauda  Baird,  1 857,  Mam.  N.  A.,  pp.  42-45. 
Type  Locality. — Near  Blair,  Neb. 

French  Canadian,  la  Taupe  Musaraigne. 
OjiB.  &  Cree,  Kin'-skee-sha-wah-wah-bee-gah-nctf'- 
see  (sharp-nosed,  short-tailed  Field-mouse). 

The  genus  Blarina  (Gray,  1837)  differs  from  Sortx 
exteriorly  in  its  much  shorter  tail.  The  latter  is  about  one-fourtli 
the  length  of  the  head  and  body.  The  tooth  formula  is  as  in 
Sorex,  but  the  relative  proportions  of  the  unicuspids  are  differ- 
ent; the  first  two  are  very  large,  and  the  next  two  much  smaller. 
The  fifth  unicuspid,  that  is,  the  canine,  or  sixth  tooth  from  the 
front,  is  so  small  as  to  be  hard  to  see.  These  peculiarities  are 
very  marked  in  Blarina  hrevicauda  (see  Fig.  253  and  Plate  C). 

In  total  length  it  is  about  5  inches  (127  mm.).  Tail 
vertebrae,  1  inch  (25  mm.);  hind-foot,  f  inch  (16  mm.).  It 
is  largest  in  the  type  region,  and  smaller  in  the  northern, 
southern,  and  eastern  parts  of  its  range,  and  especially  so  on 
the  Atlantic  coast. 

1113 


Mole-shrew 


1117 


A  large  maJe  taken  at  Cos  Cob,  October  24, 1908,  weighed  wboht 
22.3  grammes;  an  adult  female  taken  at  same  place,  September 
23,  weighed  17.1  grammes. 

All  above,  dark  brownish-gray,  shading  on  the  under  part*  coiou. 
mto  a  much  paler  tint  of  the  same  colour;  everywhere  the  coat 


Fn.  >5J— SkoU  ol  Mar<M  lm<<taw««.    (Doubl*  D»«uiml  •!».) 

(Cll  Ito.  Htnim;  R„lrt<»i.  N.  A.  F.u,,..  No.  ,^  ptM,  1.     »,„,.  s«„..  v.  S.  O^t.  Ag,..  a», 

is  silky  and  glossy.    The  under-fur  is  lead  colour.    In  general, 
summer  coat  is  palest.    Sexes  alike. 

When  seen  alive  it  looks  like  a  lead-coloured  bobtailed 
Mouse,  without  eyes  or  ears.  Its  superior  size  and  very  short 
tail  will  easily  distinguish  it  from  others  of  our  Shrews. 

There  are  six  recognized  races: 

hrevicauda  Say,  the  typical  f'  rm. 

carolinensis  Bach.,  much  smaller. 

huhphaga  Elliot,  very  small,  pale,  and  short-tailed. 

peninsula  Merriam,  like  carolinensis,  but  with  larger 

hind-foot  and  more  slaty  colour. 
aloga  Bangs,  a  small  pale  brown  form  from  Martha's 

Vineyard. 
compacta  Bangs,  a  small  slaty  form  from  Nantucket. 


1118        Life-histories  of  Northern  Animali 


LlF£-HISTORy. 


RANOI 


i  i 


1  •.  i 


M' 


■#, ' 


ENVIRON 
MENT 


The  map,  No.  6i,  shows  the  ran^e  of  the  species  to  be  in 
the  forested  part  of  the  moist  ttrnprrate  regi  »r  eastern 
North  America. 

It  was  originally  discovered  by  the  naturalist  Say,  at 
Engineer  Cantonment,  near  the  prctcnt  town  of  Blair,  Neb., 
in  the  vMiiter  of  1819.  Since  then  it  has  been  observed  in 
all  the  region  from  western  Nebraska  and  Manitoba,  eastward 
to  the  Atlantic  coast. 

I  found  this  Shrew  abundant  about  Rat  Portage  (now 
Kenora)  in  the  fall  of  1886,  and  also  captured  specimens  at 
Lower  Fort  Garry  and  Winnipeg,  but  I  did  not  find  it  in  the 
prairie  region  about  Carberry.  Dr.  Merriam  has  recorded' 
specimens  from  Pembina  and  many  points  in  North  Dakota 
and  Minnesota,  so  that  it  may  be  looked  for  with  certainty 
throughout  the  wooded  parts  of  southern  Manitoba. 

All  the  eyeless  bug-hunters  that  form  the  present  group  of 
Insectivora  are  creatures  that  prey  where  eyes  are  of  little  use, 
which  means  under  brush,  moss,  or  grouiH.  If  we  set  them  in 
a  scale  of  subterraneousness,  a  scale  corresponding  with  their 
degree  of  eyelessness,  we  shall  put: 

I  St.  The  Long-tailed  Shrew,  that  prowls  in  labyrinth  and 
thicket,  but  rarely  digs. 

2nd.  The  Blarina,  that  hunts  still  lower,  a  threader  oi 
mouse-tunnels,  and  a  digger  in  moss,  fallen  leaves,  and  loamy 
soil,  like  an  inexperienced  Mole. 

3rd.  The  Star-nosed  Mole  that  digs  in  moss,  softer  mould, 
and  occasionally  in  mud. 

4th.  The  true  Mole  iliat  never  ceases  to  work  for  a  living 
by  tunnelling  in  the  ground,  be  it  never  so  hard. 

The  favourite  localities  of  the  Blarina  are  woodlands, 
under  log-piles,  and  among  tangles  of  brush  and  sedgy  grass, 

'  N.  A.  Fauna,  No,  lo,  1895,  p.  13. 


MAP  6i— RAHOB  OF  THB  SHORT-TAILED  SHREW  AHD  ITS  SIX  P    CES. 
Bianna  ineleauJa  (Say) 

1119 


1    J 


Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 


M 


1       ! 


\'      t 


Fn.  ts*— The  (ummd  tnO  of  Ac  llalc-«lunr 
orBlarina. 


along  streams  and  in  hardwood  bush;  here  they  live  somewhat 
after  the  manner  of  a  Field-mouse,  but  also  digging  and  tun- 
nelling in  a  way  that  recalls  the  Moles. 

The  furrowed — sometimes  tunnelled — track  that  this  ani- 
mal leaves  in  snow  is  an  exact  expression  of  its  methods  and 

of  its  summer  life  beneath  the 
leaves  and  rubbish  in  the  woods. 
I  never  realized  this  fully 
until  I  chanced  to  see  one  in  its 
daily  life  at  Cos  Cob.  The  note 
in  my  journal  runs  thus: 

June  30, 1905. — This  morn- 
ing at  ninr^  I  sat  watching  a 
Hare  in  the  woods;  there  was 
a  rustling  of  leaves.  Then  I  saw 
the  dry  brown  carpet  near  me  lifting  along  a  crooked  line. 
At  fir^t  I  thought  it  must  be  a  Chipmunk  driving  a  new 
air-shaft  from  below,  but  the  rustling  continued.  At  one 
point  a  sharp  nose  appeared  and  worked  about  in  the  air, 
then  speedily  was  withdrawn.  The  heaving  of  the  leaf-bed 
continued  at  the  rate  of  a  very  slow  walk;  then  at  a  bare  place 
the  heaver  emerged  for  a  moment.  It  was  a  Blarina.  He 
disappeared  at  once  under  the  next  leaf-bed,  and  so  went  on 
burrowing  his  way,  not  mole-like,  in  the  earth,  but  in  a  fashion 
of  his  own  beneath  the  leaves.  Twenty-five  feet  farther  I  lost 
all  trace  of  the  leaf-heaver.  I  examined  his  trail,  but  found  no 
tunnel;  all  had  closed  behind  him.  Free  as  a  Mole  in  the  soil, 
he  drove  his  sub-leaf  gangway  where  he  would,  and  doubtless 
lived  on  the  country  as  he  went.  This,  then,  was  his  way  of 
llfe-this  little  inter-world  betwixt  floor  and  carpet  was  for 
him;  and  thus  I  learned  why  he  had  bartered  his  eyesight  for 
keener  powers  of  smell  and  touch. 

Less  aquatic  probably  than  either  Marsh-shrew  or  Star- 
nosed  Mole,  the  Blarina  is  nevertheless  rarely  far  from 
water.  All  that  I  have  seen  or  taken  were  within  100 
yards  of  a  stream  or  pond,  and  most  of  them  on  the 
water's  very  edge. 


■jmsism^m 


mmm 


Mole-shrew 


1191 


With  6  traps  set  for  two  weeks  in  a  s^dgy  corner  of  an  num- 
island  at  Lake  of  the  Woods,  I  captured  5  of  this  species  and  ""* 
had  evidence  of  others  remaining.    As  the  sedgy  tract  was 


Flo.  355— Portkn  cf  Bluiu  Itbriiadi  ea  ■ 


less  than  two  acres  in  extent,  this  furnishes  a  hint  of  their  pos- 
sible numbers. 

One  day  in  January,  1907,  after  a  fresh  fall  of  snow,  I 
walked  for  a  mile  through  the  woods  at  Cos  Cob,  and  found 
labyrinths  of  fresh  Blarina  tunnels  about  every  fifty  yards. 

There  was  doubtless  a  Blarina  for  each  system  of  tunnels, 
and  many  of  the  species  were  probably  not  yet  represented,  as 
it  was  but  three  or  four  hours  since  the  fresh  snow  came.  This, 
therefore,  affords  a  minimum  gauge  of  the  creature's  numbers. 

In  late  September,  1908,  I  noticed  a  great  many  small, 
round  holes  opening  from  underground  galleries.  They  were 
sometimes  i  inch  across,  sharp,  round,  and  opened  from 
below;   sometimes  ij  inches  with  a  little  loose  earth  scratched 


Fio.  t  -4— Blarina  labrrinth  oi  a 
TIM  bJwk  apuu  u« 


March  6, 1907.    Coa  Cob,  ( 
plaac*  hatm  .ualahl  dmni. 


out.  The  former  went  down  plumb,  the  others  sloping.  They 
were  so  numerous  that  I  found  6  along  a  little  woodland 
pathway  94  yards  in  length;   6  traps  set  by  these  resulted 


r  '  :• 


SOCIA- 
BIUTY 


TUNNELS 


NZSTS 


BRPED- 
INC 


1122        Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 

after  3  days  in  the  capture  of  8  Blarinas.  At  another  place 
they  were  even  more  plentiful,  as  I  counted  17  holes  in  a 
space  8  by  10  feet.  In  this  woods  there  were  certainly  50 
Blarinas  to  the  acre. 

Like  the  rest  of  the  group,  this  animal  is  neither  sociable 
nor  gregarious. 

The  tunnel  inhabited  by  a  pair  of  the?*!  animals  in 
October,  1908,  is  shown  in  Fig.  257.    I  found  no  nest.   When 

1  reached  the  place  near  the  lowest  stone  on  the  diagram, 
and  noticed  first  the  plugging  of  the  gallery,  second  the  plunge 
hole,  I  thought  that  the  nest  was  close  at  hand,  as  these 
are  the  usual  -Tidications.  But  the  plunge  ended  on  a 
hard  rock. 

This  gallery  was  everywhere  i  to  2  inches  down,  and  li  to 

2  inches  wide. 

There  is  evidence  that  the  species  not  only  makes  a  warm 
nest  tor  its  young,  under  a  log  or  stump  below  ground,  but  also 
keeps  up  a  soft  and  comfortable  home  for  itself  the  year  round. 
A.  F.  Shull,  whose  studies  have  shed  &o  much  light  on  this  Shrew, 
says'  that  the  Blarina  nest  differs  from  that  of  a  Microtus— 
thus,  the  former  uses  the  nesting  material  as  it  finds  it,  the 
latter  tears  and  shreds  it  up  into  fine  lint. 

The  mating  habits  of  this  Shrew  are  almost  unknown.  The 
little  evidence  we  have  goes  to  show  that  they  pair,  but  that  the 
male  abandons  the  nest  for  a  time,  perhaps  under  pressure,  on 
the  arrival  of  the  young.  The  first  pairing  season  occurs  in 
eaily  April.  Dr.  Merriam  says  ^  "  On  the  22d  of  April,  1878, 1 
fv^und  a  couple  of  these  Shrews  under  a  plank-walk  near  my 
nmseum.  They  proved  to  be  male  and  female,  and  the  latter 
contained  young,  which,  from  their  size,  would  probably  have 

•  Habiuof  the  Short-UiW  Shrew,  Blarina  brnicauda  (Say),  Am.  Nat.,  August,  iqoj, 
pp.  495-322,  5  illustrations. 
'  Mam.  Adir,  1884,  p  173. 


HMai 


iiiai 


Miin4e 


TuBiKlt  of  Blvin*.  Oct.  6,  igoS,  Cot  Cob,  Coon. 


nl  inaU  dwUa.    Tlw  vpiKr  tiiin  in  each  cMe  ia  ■  hocuootal  new;  the  lomt  aa  ideal 
mtkal  lectioB.    (By  A.  Franklin  Shull.) 

Fw.  tsi — Tuoncli  and  neala  oi  Blariaa. 


1123 


'!'•   .hP 


»  r  id 


ii    I 


'^  1 


u   * 


f 


FOOD 


1124        Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 

been  born  early  in  May.  Another  female,  caught  near  the  same 
place,  April  21,  1884,  contained  5  large  embryos  which  would 
certainly  have  been  born  within  ten  days.  They  weighed 
together  4.20  grammes.  I  procured  a  half-grown  young, 
February  10,  1884,  which  must  have  been  born  late  in  the  fall. 
Hence,  two  or  three  litters  are  probably  produced  each  season. 
The  young  born  in  autumn  do  not  breed  in  the  spring  following, 
as  I  have  demonstrated  by  repeated  dissections  of  both  sexes." 
Rhoads  believes  that  the  young  are  born  at  any  season 
of  the  year.*  Bachman  states*  that  they  "are  occasionally 
turned  up  by  the  plough  on  the  plantations  of  the  South,  when 
they  utter  a  faint  squeaking  cry  like  young  Mice,  and  make 
awkward  and  scrambling  attempts  to  escape,  trying  to  conceal 
themselves  in  any  tuft  of  grass,  or  under  the  first  clod  of  earth 
that  may  present  itself." 

To  this  I  can  add  one  or  two  scraps  of  information.  On 
July  21,  at  Cos  Cob,  I  captured  a  female  that  was  evidently 
nursing,'  and  on  October  20,  at  Rat  Portage,  Ont.,  I  secured  a 
large  male  that  was  in  rut. 

In  the  above-mentioned  investigatio  is  made  September, 
1908,  the  capture  of  each  young  Blarina  ended  the  digging  at 
that  hole,  but,  in  the  cases  where  an  adult  was  taken,  the  signs 
of  occupancy  continued  until  after  the  capture  of  a  second. 
These  two  were  male  and  female,  evidently  living  together, 
although  there  were  no  signs  of  sexual  activity.  One  female, 
taken  September  21,  had,  as  below,  5  embryos  of  about  half- 
time  development. 

Shull's  paper  also  implies  that  the  species  lives  in  pairs 
during  winter.  Thus  we  are  far  on  the  way  to  proving  life-long 
partnership. 

The  diet  of  the  Short-tailed  Shrew  is  chiefly  insects  and 
worms,  but  it  will  eat  any  kind  of  living  food  that  it  can  find 
and  master,  preying  largely,  as  will  be  seen,  on  Field-mice, 
which  equal  or  exceed  it  in  weight. 

♦Mwn.  Penn*..  1903,  p.  ipS-  *  Q*""*  N.  A.,  Vol.  II,  1849,  p.  177 


Mole-shrew 


1125 


In  the  following  are  detailed  the  stomach  contents  of  13 
Biarinas  taken  at  Cos  Cob,  Conn.,  1908,  by  E.  T.  Seton,  de- 
termined by  A.  Franklin  Shull,  of  Columbia  University,  New 
Yor':: 

1.  Male.— Without  date.  Stomach:  Earthworms,  almost 
vhole;  membranous  wings  of  insect  (beetle). 

2.  Female.— Without  date.  Very  badly  preserved.  Pickled 
long  after  death  apparently;  hair  nearly  all  off;  that  remain- 


/  -     ^ 


^L 


Flu.  258— Diuram  of  •  lypKal  t.urmw  of  /Kortiw  hrn-icauda.  shnwiiu  dirtnbution  of  anafl 
jhcllfc  uid  an  undrisround  stonir  chamlitr  with  ipiral  dt-scmt.  The  upptr  fimire  Ui» 
bunwoul  pn)i«ti<>n  Ihr  lower  an  ideal  vertical  •ecliin.  The  black  circlTj  in  the 
npprr  diacram  are  puinU  where  the  burrow  deicended  abruptly  into  the  irt«ind. 

(By  A.  Fiaiiklui  :>hull). 

ing  verj'  loose.  Gorged  with  connective  tissue,  cartilage,  and 
muscle  of ?  Intestine  filled  with  same  material,  diges- 
tive organs  not  properly  functioning,  or  this  would  not  be  pos- 
sible.   Or  is  this  material  indigestible } 

3.  Female.— September  21.  Good  condition;  well  pre- 
served stomach:  Earthworm  setje;  parts  of  insects;  some  of 
its  own  (Blarina's)  hair,  probably  swallowed  with  food.  Uterus 
contained  5  embryos,  about  5  mm.  long  from  caudal  end 
to  cervical  flexure;  probably  between  one  and  two  weeks 
old. 

4.  Male.— September  22.  Skull  crushed  by  trap;  ex- 
cellent preservation.  Stomach  full:  Earthworms,  almost  un- 
digested. Must  have  been  preserved  soon  after  death,  the 
digestion  having  been  largely  prevented,  and  hair  being  firm. 


»"! 


1 ,. 


m 


11556         Life-lnstories  of  Northern  Animals 

5.  Female.— September  22.  Poorly  preserved,  had  been 
dead  some  time  before  pickling.  Stomach  almost  empty; 
earthworm  seta  only  thing  that  could  be  identified;  flesh 
unrecognizable. 

6.  Male.— September  22.  Good  condition.  Stomach: 
Insects  wholly;  soft  pans  almost  completely  digested. 

7.  Female.- September  22.  Stomach:  Insects  only;  small 
quantity.  Must  have  been  taken  at  same  place  as  No.  6,  food 
being  precisely  same  [they  were  living  together].  More  com- 
plete digestion  and  poorer  preservation  indicate  that  it  was 
dead  longer  before  pickling. 

8.  Female.— September  22.  Fair  preservation.  Stomach 
nearly  empty;  legs  of  Isopod. 

9.  Female.— September  22.  Good  health  and  well  pre- 
served.    Stomach:     Muscles  and  setae  of  earthworm  only. 

10.  Male.— September  23.  Well  preserved.  Stomach: 
Earthworms  entirely. 

11.  Female.— September  23.  Well  preserved.  Stomach: 
Earthworms;  insects  probably. 

12.  Female. — September  23.  Liver  somewhat  inflamed 
and  hardened,  may  have  been  due  to  injury  in  capture.  Stom- 
ach: Isopod  legs.  What  appear  to  be  hyphae  and  sporangia 
of  some  fungus;  parts  of  insects. 

13.  Female.— September  25.  No  especial  sexual  ievelop- 
ment;  in  good  condition,  well  preserved.  Stomach:  EartI 
worms,  some  arthropod,  probably  a  sow-bug,  recognizable  by 
chitinous  pieces  and  legs;  connective  tissue  and  striated  muscle 
probably  of  a  small  mammal  (rodent  ?)  flesh  found  in  teeth 
[doubtless  the  bait  of  the  trap]. 

Merriam  found  the  Blarina  partial  to  beechnuts,  and 
ready  to  eat  corn  and  oats  at  a  pinch.* 

In  a  feed-box  at  one  corner  of  an  outbuilding  I  saw  by  the 
tracks  that  a  Mouse  came  daily  to  steal  crushed  corn,  so  set  a 
trap,  and  was  surprised  and  sorry  next  day  to  find  that  the 
thief,  already  dead,  was  not  a  Mouse,  but  a  female  Blarina, 

•  Mun.  Adir.,  1884,  p.  160. 


Mole-shrew 


1127 


evidently  nursing  a  brood,  although  this  was  July  21.  On 
examination  her  stomach  was  found  crammed  full  of  corn-meal 
unmixed  with  other  food. 

It  is  notorious  that  insect-eaters  turn  putrid  in  a  few  hours, 
and  yet  this  Shrew  lay  on  my  desk  in  warm  weather  from 
6  p.  M.  July  21,  to  noon  July  22, 
without  showing  any  signs  of  cor- 
ruption. From  this  I  argue  that 
she  had  lived  on  corn  for  many 
days  previously. 

Numerous  experiments  and 
observations  on  captive  animals 
prove  that  the  Blarina,  like  its 
smaller  kin,  has  an  enormous  ap- 
petite which  must  be  satisfied  or 
in  a  very  few  hours  the  creature 
succumbs.  It  makes  no  pretence 
at  hibernation — is  as  active,  in- 
deed, all  winter  under  the  snow,  as 
in  summer  under  the  grass.  How, 
then,  does  it  support  life  when 
living  food  is  so  scarce  ?  The  an- 
swer is  not  simple. 

Dormant  insects  undoubtedly 
form  a  large  part  of  its  suste- 
nance. As  Dr.  Merriam  says,' and  ^ 
I  have  often  proved,  "  the  rigours 
of  our  northern  winters  seem  to 
have  no  effect  in  diminishing  its 
activities,  for  it  scampers  about 
on  the  snow  during  the  severest 
weather,  and  I  have  known  it  to  be  out  when  the  thermom- 
eter indicated  a  temperature  of  —20  Fahr.  ( — 29  C).  It 
makes  long  journeys  over  the  snow,  burrowing  down  when- 
ever it  comes  to  an  elevation  that  denotes  the  presence  of  a 
log  or  stump,  and  I  am  inclined  to  believe  that  at  this  season  it 

'  Mam  Adir.,  1884,  p.  164. 


Fio.  jj»— Bl»rin-.,  Cm  Cob,  Ju!jr  ji,  1904. 
Stumach  crammed  with  grain — com  or  whcaL 


1  i 


mm 


1H8        Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 


\ir 


must  feed  largely  upon  the  chrysalides  and  larvx  of  insects 
that  are  always  to  be  found  in  such  places." 

The  interesting  experiments  made  at  Ann  Arbor,  Mich.,* 
by  A.  F.  Shull,  prove  that,  in  winter,  Blarina  brevicauda 
habitually  feeds  on  snails  of  the  genus  Polygyra — that  it 
gathers  these  into  heaps  as  a  sort  of  store,  keeping  them  alive 
above  ground  and  in  underground  dens.  In  two  patches  of 
dry  swampland,  each  less  than  20  acres,  he  found  40  of  these 
heaps,  with  shells  in  each  numbering  from  two  or  three  to  over 
one  hundred. 


8T0RA0B 


-^fll' 


.  2/>o  -  Eirrrmmt  c.f  the 
hlitritM  hrmHcAudA.  (Life 
Mzr,  after  Shull.) 


I  have  frequently  known  it  to  kill  and  eat  Field-mice,  as  is 
attested  also  by  all  naturalists  who  have  studied  the  species. 
Yet,  in  view  of  the  Mouse's  superior  agility, 
it  seems  unlikely  that  a  Blarina  could  catch 
one  every  day,  and  the  only  stop-gnp  I  can 
discern  is  that  already  suggested  by  Mer- 
riam,  viz.,  this  Shrew  not  only  eats  nuts 
and  grain,  but  stores  them  up  for  winter  use.  Writing  of  his 
captive,  Merriam  says:*  "He  is  very  fond  of  beechnuts,  and 
thrived  when  fed  exclusively  on  them  for  more  than  a  week. 

"  One  evening,  not  long  ago,  I  put  a  handful  of  beechnuts 
in  his  water  saucer.  He  soon  found  them  and  carried  them 
off.  Part  he  buried  in  a  hole  under  the  saucer,  part  under  his 
nest,  and  the  rest  in  an  excavation  near  one  corner  of  the  box. 
This  certainly  looks  as  if  the  animal  was  in  the  habit  of  hoarding 
for  winter." 

We  can  readily  imagine,  then,  that  it  is  a  perfect  windfall 
for  the  Blarina  when  he  discovers  a  fat  colony  of  fat  Mice  with 
a  fat  store  of  food  already  laid  up;  for  then,  between  murder 
and  robbery,  he  can  live  happily  for  a  month  on  a  single  find. 


h    \   ■■  ' 


The  most  curious  case  of  storage  among  small  mammals 
is  ascribed  by  Bachman  to  this  creature.'*  After  mentioning 
the  long  branching  tunnels  evidently  made  by  the  form  caro' 


'Loc.  cit.,  p.  514. 

"  Quad.  N.  A.,  184Q,  Vol.  II,  p.  177. 


'Loc.  cit.,  p.  169. 


r 


$  1) 


]M^mm 


Mole-shrew 


1129 


linensis,  he  adds:  "We  observed  on  the  sides  of  one  of 
these  galleries  a  small  cavity  containing  a  hoard  of  coleopterous 
insects,  principally  composed  of  a  rare  species  {Scarabaus 
tityus),  fully  the  size  of  the  animal  itself;  some  of  them  were 
nearly  consumed,  and  the  rest  mutilated,  although  cftill  living." 

All  the  Shrews  are  heavy  drinkers,  which  is  one  reason  for  dunk 
their  choice  of  habitat.    The  Blarina  is  no  exception  to  this 
rule. 


To  our  ears  the  cries  of  Bats  and  Shrews  are  much  alike — 
a  sharp,  high-pitched  twittering,  or  a  screech  as  sharp  and  fine 
as  a  needle.  Doubtless  each  emotion  of  each  species  has  an 
individual  and  characteristic  sound  to  express  it,  but  such  things 
are  as  yet  beyond  our  poor  powers  of  discrimination.  When 
our  inventors  give  us  a  practical  field  microphone  we  shall  be 
able,  doubtless,  to  enter  a  hitherto  unexplored  wonderland  of 
sound,  experiencing  many  new  delights  and,  doubtless,  also 
some  new  sorrows. 

Kennicott  savs"  of  the  Mole-shrew  which  he  had  captive: 
"When  hurt  or  irritated,  it  uttered  a  short,  sharp,  tremulous 
note,  like  zee-e..  and  when  it  was  much  enraged  this  note 
became  longer,  harsher,  and  twittering,  like  that  of  some 
buntingj  or  sparrows.  Sometimes  a  short,  clear  cry  was 
uttered,  the  voict  calling  to  mind  that  of  the  common  Mink 
(Putoritis  vison),  but  softrr  and  lower." 


VOICE 


Correlating  with  its  vocal  powers,  the  Blarina  is  possessed  hear. 
of  exquisite  hearing,  associated  with  which  is  a  fine  discrimina-  "*° 
tion  that  stands  between  ihe  creature  and  a  world  of  false- 
alarms.  A.  F.  Shull  found  that  a  captive  specimen  soon  be- 
came oblivious  to  sounds  that  were  often  repeated.  No  matter 
how  heavy,  harsh,  or  piercing  the  noise,  the  Shrew  soon  learned 
to  hear  it  with  indifference.  There  was,  however,  one  notable 
exception.  "  The  flutter  of  wings  of  a  pigeon  kept  in  the  same 
vivarium,  on  the  other  hand,  always  sent  the  Shrew  skurrying 

"  Quad.  lU.,  1858,  p.  g6. 


■MMi 


:»./■ 


TOUCH 
AND  EYE- 
SIGHT 


1130        Life-histories  of  Nortnern  Animals 

into  'ts  burrows.  I  observed  this  more  than  twentv  times,  at 
intervals  throughout  the  five  wet4  of  ihc  Shrew's  captivity, 
and  the  last  flutter  produced  as  much  disturbance  as  the  first. 
This  particular  sound  must  have  been  heard  hundreds  of 
times  during  that  period,  yet  even  at  the  last  ^.ould  not  be  heard 
with  equanimity  by  the  Shrew."" 

In  this  we  read  a  story  of  perpetual  danger  from  bii  Is  of 
prey,  through  past  ages  in  the  history  of  Blarina's  race. 

Its  eyes  are  of  use  apparently  only  to  distinguish  light 
from  shade,  but  its  exquisite  hearing  and  sense  of  touch  seem 
to  compensate  for  the  lack  of  vision,  and  to  render  it  equally 
at  home  in  the  blazing  sun,  on  the  snow,  in  the  midnight 
woods,  or  pursuing  the  Field-mouse  to  its  lair  far  underground. 
It  has,  indeed,  exchanj;ed  its  sight  for  better  touch,  nor  has  it 
lost  by  the  bargain;  that  I  learned  at  Rat  Portage,  when 
collecting  long  ago.  One  line  of  traps  consisted  of  pitfalls 
made  by  sinking  pickle-jars  in  the  mouse-runs.  The  run  was 
fenced  and  roofed  and  smoothed  to  lend  all  baleful  aid,  and  I 
caught  many  Mice  and  some  Cooper  Shrews,  but  never  once  a 
Blarina  did  I  get;  its  senses,  though  limited  in  number,  totalled 
up  far  better  than  those  of  the  bead-eyed  Mice  it  preyed  on. 
The  Oily  Short-tailed  Shrews  I  got  were  taken  in  cage-traps 
baited  with  fresh  meat. 

Kennicott,  after  capturing  a  pair  of  these  for  obser- 
vation, wrote:"  "While  alive,  the  minute  black  eye  is  dis- 
tinctly seen  and  always  open;  but,  though  the  sense  of  sight 
may  be  possessed  in  the  dark,  it  certainly  is  not  used  in  the  full 
light.  Upon  waving  different  objects  before  one,  or  thrusting 
my  finger  cr  a  stick  close  to  its  face,  no  notice  was  taken  of  it 
whatever;  but  if  I  made  any  noise  near  by,  it  abvays  started. 
If  the  flf)or  was  struck,  or  even  the  air  disturbed,  it  would  start 
back  from  that  direction.  I  observed  no  indication  that  an 
acute  sense  of  smell  enabled  it  to  recognize  objects  ai  any 
considerable  distance;  but  its  hearing  was  remarkable.  An 
exceedingly   delicate   sense   of  touch   was   e.xhibited  by  the 

"  Loc.  at.,  p.  513.  "  Q««l.  HI.,  1858,  pp.  95-6. 


hMt 


msm 


mtm 


.2^1 


Molc-shrcw 


1181 


NAcmr 


whiskers,  and  if,  after  irritating  a  Shrew,  I  placed  a  stick 
against  it,  in  even  the  most  gentle  manner,  the  animal  would 
instantly  spring  at  it.  I  could  see  that,  in  running  along  the 
floor,  it  stopped  the  moment  its  whiskers  touched  anything; 
and  often,  when  at  full  speed,  it  would  turn  aside  just  before 
reaching  an  object  against  which  it  seemed  about  to  strike  and 
which  it  certainly  had  not  seen.  Unless  enraged  by  being 
teased,  it  endeavoured  to  smell  every  new  object  with  which  its 
whiskers  came  in  contact,  turning  its  long  flexible  snout  with 
great  facility  for  this  purpose. 

"My  caged  specimens,  both  male  and  female,  exhibited  roo- 

great  pugnacity.    When  I  touched  one  several  times  with  a  

stick,  it  would  become  much  enraged,  snapping  and  crying 
out  angrily.  When  attacked  by  a  Meadow-mouse  (Arvicola 
scalopsoiJfs),  confined  in  a  cage  with  it,  one  fought  fiercely; 
and  though  it  did  not  pursue  its  adversary  when  the  latter 
moved  off,  ne-ther  did  it  ever  retreat;  but  the  instant  the 
Mouse  came  close,  it  sprang  at  him,  apparently  not  guided  in 
the  least  by  sight.  It  kept  its  nose  and  whiskers  constantly 
moving  from  side  to  side,  and  often  sprang  forward  with  an 
angry  cry  when  the  Mouse  was  not  near,  as  if  deceived  in  think- 
ing it  had  heard  or  felt  a  movement  in  that  direction.  In 
fighting,  it  did  not  spring  up  high,  or  attempt  to  leap  upon  its 
adversary,  as  the  Mouse,  but  jerked  itself  along,  stopping 
firmly,  with  the  fore-feet  well  forwards,  and  the  head  high.  On 
coming  in  contact  with  the  Mouse,  it  snapped  at  him,  and, 
though  it  sometimes  rose  on  its  hind-feet  in  the  struggle,  I  did 
not  observe  that  it  used  its  fore-feet  as  weapons  of  offence,  like 
the  arvicola.  Its  posture,  when  on  guard,  was  always  with  the 
feet  spread  and  firmly  braced,  and  the  head  held  with  the 
onout  pointing  upwards,  and  the  mouth  and  chin  forwards,  in 
which  position  its  eyes  would  have  been  of  no  use,  could  it  have 
seen.  The  motions  of  this  animal,  when  angry,  are  char- 
acterized by  a  peculiar  firmness;  the  muscles  appear  to  be 
held  very  rigid,  while  the  movements  are  made  by  quick, 
energetic  jerks.  Short  springs,  either  backwards,  forwards,  or 
sidewise*,  appear  to  be  made  with  equal  readiness. 


I 


1132        Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 


m 


f'.h 


"This  Shrew  is  quite  active  as  well  as  strong;  the  snout 
and  head  are  powerful,  and  seem  to  be  much  used  in  burrowing; 
the  tough  cartilaginous  snout  received  no  injury  from  the  rough 
edge  of  a  pane  of  glass,  under  which  that  of  a  caged  specimen 
was  forcibly  thrust  in  endeavouring  to  raise  it.  When  liberated, 
upon  a  smooth  floor,  it  runs  rapidly,  without  ever  leaping, 
placing  only  the  toes  on  the  surface;  though  in  moving  slowly 
the  whole  tarsi  of  the  hind-feet  are  brought  down.  By  placing 
an  ear  of  corn  over  two  inches  in  diameter  at  the  edge  of  the 
room,  and  chasing  a  Shrew  towards  it  by  striking  the  floor 
behind  the  animal,  I  have  seen  one  several  times  spring  over  it, 
apparently  without  great  effort;  but  if  not  much  frightened  it 
would  always  go  around  objects  an  inch  high,  running  close 
along  them,  as  it  did  beside  the  wall,  invariably  feeling  its 
way.  One  would  never  leave  the  side  of  the  wall  to  run 
across  the  room,  and  would  always  run  around  the  side  of  its 
cage,  rather  than  go  across  the  middle." 

HABITS  The  Short-tailed  Shrew  is  incapable  of  climbing  or  run- 

ning fast.  It  is,  as  we  have  seen,  practically  blind,  does  not 
smell  well,  is  vulnerable  at  all  points  of  its  body,  and  yet  it  is 
an  admitted  success  in  life.  It  offsets  all  its  shortcomings  by 
a  superlative  development  of  hearing  and  touch,  and  a  restless 
energy  combined  with  indomitable  courage,  great  muscular 
powers,  and  tireless  activity,  an  equipment  that  makes  it  a  fear- 
some beast  of  prey,  a  terror  to  all  wild  creatures  of  its  small 
world,  that  are  less  than  double  its  weight. 

The  earliest  account  I  can  find  of  its  exploits  as  a  hunter 
of  big  game  is  by  John  Morden,  of  Hyde  Park,  Ont."  "In 
a  trap  set  for  Mice  he  found,  at  one  time,  a  [Mole-]shrew  and 
two  White-footed  Mice,  one  of  the  latter  being  dead  and  about 
half  eaten.  'The  evening  of  that  day  the  Mole  was  placed 
in  an  old  laundry  boiler  and  the  entire  dead  Mouse  given  to  it, 
which  by  morning  was  entirely  eaten,  bones  and  all,  except  the 
hair.    We  then  gave  the  Mole  a  large  rat  just  killed,  when  it  at 

'•  Can.  Sport  and  Nat.,  December,  1883,  p.  283,  quoted  by  Merriam,  Mam.  Adir., 
1884,  p.  165. 


Mole-shrew 


iiss 


once  proceeded  to  eat  out  its  eyes,  and  by  four  o'clock  next 
afternoon  one  side  of  the  rat's  head,  bone  together  with  the 
brains,  were  eaten,  and,  strange  to  say,  the  Mole  looked  no 
larger.  *  *  ♦  Our  curiosity  was  aroused  to  know  by  what 
means  a  Mole  or  Shrew  could  kill  Mice  which  were  larger  than 
itself;   so  four  large  Meadow-mice  being  procured,  they  were 
placed  in  the  boiler  with  the  Mole,  which  as  soon  as  it  met  a 
Mouse  showed  fight,  but  the  Mouse  knocked  it  away  with  its 
front  feet  and  leaped  as  far  away  as  it  could.    The  Mole  from 
the  first  seemed  not  to  see  very  plainly  and  started  around  the 
boiler  at  a  lively  rate,  reaching  and  scenting  in  all  directions 
with  its  long  nose,  like  a  pig  that  has  broken  into  a  backyard 
and  smells  the  swill-barrel.    The  Mice  seemed  terror-stricken, 
momentarily  rising  on  their  hind-legs,  looking  for  some  place 
to  escape,  leaping  about,  squeaking  in  their  efforts  to  keep  out 
of  the  way  of  the  Mole,  which  pursued  them  constantly.    The 
Mole's  mode  of  attack  was  to  seize  the  Mouse  in  the  region 
of  the  throat.    This  it  did  by  turning  its  head  as  it  sprang  at 
the  Mouse,  at  the  same  time  uttering  a  chattering  sound.    The 
Mice  would  strike  at  and  usually  knock  the  Mole  away  with 
their  front  feet,  but  if  the  latter  got  a  hold  of  the  Mouse  it 
would  then  try  to  bite,  and  they  would  both  tumble  about  like 
dogs  in  a  fight.     The  little  chap  at  last  attacked  one  Mouse 
and  kept  with  it,  and  in  about  ten  minutes  had  it  killed;  but 
even  before  it  was  dead  the  Mole  commenced  eating  its  eyes 
and  face.    About  ten  minutes  later  the  Mole  had  devoured  all 
the  head  of  the  Mouse  and  continued  to  eat.    I  have  captured 
and  caged  several  Moles  this  winter,  and  they  all  display  the 
same  untiring  greedy  nature.    According  to  my  observation, 
the  little  mammal  under  consideration  eats  about  twice  or 
three  times  its  own  weight  of  food  every  twenty-four  hours,  and 
when  we  consider  that  their  principal  food  consists  of  insects, 
it  is  quite  bewildering  to  imagine  the  myriads  one  must  destroy 
in  a  year.'" 

Dr.  Merriam  repeated  these  experiments  and  found  that 
a  small  Blarina  weighing  11.20  grammes  could  tire  out  and 
overcome  a  vigorous  male  Deer-mouse  weighing  17  grammes. 


I 


I' 


I 
V 


1134       Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 


'H 


.t. 


Ml-t 


The  Blarina  ate  the  brain,  one  side  of  the  head,  and  part 
of  the  shoulder  in  fifteen  minutes  after  the  death  of  the  Mouse, 
and  immediately  after  the  meal  he  weighed  12  grammes — an 
increase  jf  .80  gramme." 

"The  Shrew  was  half  an  hour  in  tiring  the  Mouse,  and 
another  half-hour  in  killing  him.  But  it  must  be  remembered 
that  he  was  not  fully  grown,  and  was  doubtless,  on  this  account, 
longer  in  capturing  and  killing  his  victim  than  would  have  been 
the  case  had  he  been  an  adult.  Still,  it  is  clear  that  a  Shrew 
could  never  catch  Mice  on  open  ground.  His  small  size,  how- 
ever, enables  him  readily  to  enter  their  holes  and  to  follow  them 
to  their  nests  and  the  remotest  ramifications  of  their  burrows, 
where,  having  no  escape,  he  can  slay  them  with  fearful 
certainty." 

At  Toronto  on  February  4, 1888, 1  collected  an  old  Blarina 
whose  tail  was  gone,  probably  in  battle,  so  that  they  do  not 
always  go  scot-free. 

The  most  desperate  exploit  accredited  to  one  of  this 
species  is  recorded  by  Prof(  ssor  E.  D.  Cope  in  the  American 
Naturalist  for  August,  1873:" 

"I  recently  [says  he]  placed  a  water  snake  (Tropidortotus 
sipedon)  of  two  feet  in  length  in  a  fernery  which  was  inhabited 
by  a  Shrew,  either  a  large  Blarina  carolinensis  or  a  small 
Blarina  talpoides.  The  snake  was  vigorous  when  placed  in  the 
case  in  the  afternoon  and  bit  at  everything  within  reach.  The 
next  morning  the  glass  sides  of  his  prison  were  streaked  with 
dirt  and  other  marks,  to  the  height  of  the  reach  of  the  snake, 
bearing  witness  to  his  energetic  efforts  to  escape.  He  was  then 
lying  on  the  earthen  floor,  in  an  exhausted  state,  making  a  few 
ineffectual  efforts  to  twist  his  body,  while  the  Blarina  was  busy 
tearing  out  his  masseter  and  temporal  muscles.  A  large  part 
of  the  flesh  was  eaten  from  his  tail,  and  the  temporal  and 
masseter  muscles,  and  eye  of  one  side,  were  removed,  so  that 
the  under  jaw  hung  loose.  The  temporal  was  torn  loose  from 
the  cranium  on  the  other  side,  and  as  I  watched  him  the 
Blarina  cut  the  other  side  of  the  mandible  loose  and  began  to 

■•  Loc.  at.,  pp.  166-8.  '•  Vol.  VII,  No.  8,  pp.  490-1. 


Mole-shrew 


1135 


tear  the  longicoUi  and  rectus  muscles.  His  motions  were  quite 
frantic,  and  he  jerked  and  tore  out  considerable  fragments 
with  his  long  anterior  teeth.  He  seemed  especially  anxious  to 
get  down  the  snake's  throat  (where  some  of  his  kin  had  prob- 
ably gone  before),  and  revolved  on  his  long  axis,  now  with  his 
belly  up,  now  with  his  sides,  in  his  energetic  efforts.  He  had 
apparently  not  been  bitten  by  the  snake  and  was  uninjured. 
Whether  the  Shrew  killed  the  snake  is  of  course  uncertain,  but 
the  animus  with  which  he  devoured  the  reptile  gives  some 
colour  to  the  suspicion  that  he  in  some  way  frightened  him 
to  exhaustion." 

Had  it  been  a  Mouse  of  the  same  size  instead  of  the 
Shrew,  the  incident  would  undoubtedly  have  terminated  the 
other  way;  but  the  strength,  ferocity,  activity,  and  courage 
of  the  Blarina  are  such  that  if  it  were  increased  to  half  the  size 
of  a  tiger  it  might  quite  logically  make  tigers  its  habitual 
prey. 

But  even  this  valiant  one  has  foes  to  fear.     Hawks  and  ene- 
owls  of  all  kinds  are  ready  to  kill  the  Blai.na  and  swallow  it  ""^ 
whole;  while  Lynxes  and  Weasels,  dogs  and  cats  rarely  lose 
a  chance  of  giving  it  a  fatal  nip  or  a  crushing  death-blow, 
although  they  are  deterred  from  eating  it  by  the  rank  odour 
that  it  emits,  doubtless  as  a  protection. 

Yet  another  class  of  foes  it  has,  one  that  is  too  small  for  it 
to  master,  for  the  nursing  female,  already  mentioned  as  taken 
July  21,  was  swarming  with  three  different  kinds  of  fur-lice. 

It  is  to  be  hoped  that  the  farmer  will  never  enlist  himself 
against  the  Blarina.  It  may  kill  good  bugs  and  bad  bugs 
indiscriminately;  it  may  take  a  little  grain  when  nothing  better 
is  at  hand,  but  the  balance  of  benefit  is  far  in  the  farmer's 
favour.  All  the  evidence  goes  to  show  that  its  favourite  food 
is  Mice.  For  mouse-meat  it  will  hunt  and  struggle  without 
wearying,  eschewing  all  other  diet,  when  this  i^  at  all  a  possi- 
bility; and  just  so  surely  as  the  Mouse  is  the  farmer's  foe,  so 
surely  is  the  Blarina  his  good  friend  and  worthy  of  active  pro- 
tection. 


LIII. 
Star-nosed  Mole. 

Coniylura  cristata  (Li   naeus). 
{Ctmdylwa,  from  Gr.  kondylcs,  a  knob;  oura,  tail;  L.  cristala,  crested.) 

Sorex  crtstatus  LiNN.,  1758,  Syst.  Nat.,  X  Ed.,  I,  p.  53. 
Condylura    cristata    Desmarest,     1819,    Journ.    de    Phys., 
LXXXiX,  p.  230. 

Type  Locality  -Pennsylvania. 

French  Canadian,  le  Condylure  a  longue  queue;  la 
Taupe  du  Canada;  le  Condylure  a  museau  etotle. 

The  Family  Talpida  or  Moles  are  like  the  Shrews  in  their 
soft,  velvety  fur,  their  apparent  lack  of  eyes,  ears,  and  neck, 
their  scanty-haired,  scaly  tails,  and  also  in  the  general  style 
of  their  teeth;  but  they  differ  in  being  much  larger,  and  in 
having  the  front  feet  enormously  developed  for  digging. 

The  genus  Condylura,  founded  by  Illiger  (181 1),  for  the 
present,  its  only  known  species,  has,  in  addition  to  the  Family 
characters,  a  remarkable  fringe  of  22  fleshy  points  or  feelers 
around  the  nose;  its  tail  is  longer  than  in  most  Moles,  being 
over  half  as  long  as  the  head  and  body.    The  teeth  are: 

3-3  i-i  4-4  3-3 

Inc.  =^-^;  can.  — ;  prem.  — -;  mol.  =^-=^  -  44 

3-3  i-i  4-4  3-3 

SIZE  Total  length,  snout  to  tail-bone  tip,  about  7  inches  (178 

mm.);  tail,  3  inches  (76  mm.);  hind-foot,  lA  inches  (27  mm.). 

COLOUR  Above,  dull  brownish-black,  becoming  paler  and  browner 

on  chin,  throat,  and  lower  parts. 

1136 


i. 


Star-nosed  Mole 


1187 


An  adult  male,  taken  at  Cos  Cob,  Conn.,  July  /,  1909, 
weighed  24  grammes. 

Life-history. 

The  range  of  the  species  is  fairly  well  worked  out  in  the  »anoe 
south  and  east,  but  the  northern  and  west^^rn  boundaries,  as 
shown  on  the  map.  No.  62,  are 
sure  to  be  greatly  modified  by 
fuller  investigation. 

Dr.  R.  Bell  gives  it  as  com- 
mon at  Moose  Factory;*  F.  W. 
True  records  one  from  Moose 
Factory  and  one  trom  Rupert 
House,  James  Bay;'  C.  L.  Her- 
rick  secured  a  single  specimen 
in  Minnesota;'  R,  Kennicott 
mentions*  its  occurrence  at  Fort 
Ripley,  Minn.;  Bailey  gives  it 
as  scarce  at  Elk  River,  Minn.' 
At  Duluth  it  is  not  uncommon; 
there  is  a  local  specimen  in  the 
High  School  Museum. 

It  is  eni:red  as  Manitoban, 
on  the  authority  of  W.  R.  Hine, 

who  assures  me  that  specimens  have  been  brought  to  his 
taxidermist  shop  in  Winnipeg;  unfortunately,  they  were  not  kept. 

At  Nipigon  it  was  taken  by  G.  S.  Miller,  who  found  it  in 
seemmgly  abundance  at  Peninsula  Harbor  also.* 

Outram   Bangs  records'  the  capture  of  a  specimen   at 
Lake  Edward,  south  of  Lake  St.  John,  Quebec.    But  elsewhere' 

'  Mam.  H.  Bay  (1884),  App.  II,  p.  48,  D.  D.  Geol.  Surv.  Can.,  i88< 

•  Proc.  U.  S.  Nat.  Mus.,  Vol.  XIX  (1896),  1897,  p.  84. 

•  Mam  Minn.,  189a,  p.  56.  .  Quad.  Dl.,  1858,  p.  loi. 
Rep.  Om.  and  Mam.,  U.  S.  Dept.  Agr.  (for  1887),  i883,  p.  435. 

•Mam.  Ont.,  Proc.  Bost.  Soc.  Nat.  Hist.,  April,  1897.  p.  w 
'  Proc.  Bi.  Soc..  Wash.,  Mareh  9, 1896,  p.  51. 
'  Mam.  Labrador,  Am.  Nat.  July,  1898,  p.  497. 


Fro.  a6i— SkuU   of  Star-noMd  Mole  (CmMara 
tniMa).    di  tima  utunl  ue.) 
Fran Tni««  Re».  Am.  Moln,  P. U. S. N.  M.,  1I97.   Plata IV. 


I 


i:  ;/ 


't  r 


T     I, 


;■  H 


^1 

1 

T 

11 

il 

h^-* 

/        '^f 

^■\/*  / 
'xK^    /     ■*/ 

frnt 

1 

.     /    / //  '^/t^^ 

?trs» 

®^^ 

/       \          /                /  i'       /   ^ 

^ 

una*, ■^; r'              '  ■»   .         \ 

■- — /-- 

■ ^ — \ 

'* — '-- 

"^g       0      0     L 

f _..T«»»...W 

^       "     '      ' 

N 

\^, ^i      /     ^<ifc*     ^-^'1 

^Ei 

».«!•.           «-            «.            M   f 

"^ 

=-^ 

^^       ••••• •• 

«f 

•4» 

^^^^/TT 

lk-_j=^ 

'^  '  • 

r »•        ■  ■■       — ^— ■     iP 

HAP  63— RARGE  OF  THE  STAR-HOSED  MOLE. 
CiMK/y/ura  crhlala  (Linn.)> 

Tht  outliKl  we  the  theoretical  ranfe,  the  spos  «pe  actual  records  given  bjr  Auduboa  and  Bacninan,  S.  F.  Baird,  R.  Kennicott,  J.  E.  DeKajr, 

C.  Hut  Ucttum,  :>.  N.  Riuais,  v.  Bangs,  G.  S.  Miiicr,  and  £.  T.  Scton. 

1138 


Star-nosed  Mo,^  1139 

he  gives  a  yet  farther  afield  occurrencc-a  Star-nose  from 
fol w"^'  °"         *''^"*  °^  I-abrador.    His  statement  is  as 

tf,  » "  ^^'^^'^^^^^  ^«^  and  fully  identified  a  Star-nosed  Mole 

«  nJ  »K  ^°p/^a"«ht  at  Rigoulettc.    As  he  assures  me  there 

8  not  the  slightest  chance  of  a  mistake  in  his  identification, 

the  species  must  be  included."  ' 

moIii^flJirT"' ''  /^''.'y  ^''!  ""<J"««^-     It  is  the  least  cnv.- 
rnolish  of  Its  family,  preferring  swimming  to  digging,  and  a  low  "^ 
meadow,  a  mossy  bog.  or  even  a  wet  marsh,  to  thS  mit  alluri^ 
01  upland  pastures.  * 

Commenting  on  the  Lake  Edward  specimen.  Bangs  says: 
No  work  of  this  Mole  was  seen  anywhere.    The  one 

PrIlK7»K'^"^-^'  !"/  'y''°"*^  '"P  »«  "n<»«^  an  old  log. 
Frobably  the  animal  lives  below  the  deep  layer  of  moss  wiA 

which  everything  is  covered,  and  therefore  /ves  no^^'oTi^ 
p  resell  cc  • 

th.  ^rV^f^^^'^  "  '^°^  "°'  '""""^'y  *^°'d  *«=  drier  fields, 
the  ploughed  lands,  or  even  the  garden,  when  making  a  side 
trip  or  seeking  a  new  range. 

The  home-range  of  the  individual  is  probably  about  the  hoio- 
same  size  as  that  of  other  Moles-an  acre  of  swampl  sufficient   ^« 
Her-  It  will  dwell  in  comfort  for  weeks  or  months,  till  famine" 
or  a  strong  invader  compels  it  to  depart  to  some  othe^ 

-»p  a  hundred  long  yards  off. 

socable'oflVlT  ''  '■^^arkable  among    Moles  in   being  sooa- 
soc-able,  or  at  least  gregarious,  as  these  animals  are  known  to  ""^ 
live  in  colonies,  which,  judging  from  the  results  of  their  u^ted 
abours,  should  contain  at  least  a  dozen  individuals.   Mcm"rn 

Stf?=.^Ss-^^ 

MrtTkrolrci'^^^^^^^^^^^ 


r^ 


i 


•Mam.  Ac'ir,  i884,p.  148. 


"Ibid.,  p.  ISO. 


i  %1 


fvf 


I' 


^^i 


f 

"^4 


.1 


»£. 


VODNO 


I. 


1140        Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 

HATtNo  The  species  is  supposed  to  pair.    The  mating  takes  place 

in  November.  It  is  signalized  in  a  unique  manner.  As  the 
neck  of  a  Deer  or  the  throat  feathering  of  a  ruff  become 
greatly  enlarged  in  the  rut,  so  the  tail  of  the  Star-nose  swells  to 
double  its  usual  size  during  the  time  of  ardent  passion. 

Dr.  Harlan,  not  knowing  of  thij^  periodic  change,  supposed 
the  thick-tailed  one  to  be  a  new  species,  and  named  it  ma- 
eroura." 

NUT  A  nest  of  this  animal  dug  out  by  Audubon  and  Bachman" 

was  approached  by  a  long  winding  burrow,  and  situated  in  a 
large  excavation  under  a  stump;  it  was  quite  "spacious  and 
composed  of  withered  grasses." 

It  contained  "3  young,  apparently  a  week  old.  The 
radiations  in  the  nose  were  so  slightly  developed  that,  until  we 
carefully  examined  them,  we  supposed  they  were  the  young 
of  the  common  Shrew-mole." 

Other  authorities  set  the  number  of  young  from  4  to  6. 
The  history  of  their  development  is  not  further  known.  "  Two 
or  more  litters  arc  produced  each  season."'*     {Merriam.) 

BAB Ts  "If  we  may  judge  by  its  remarkable  resemblance  to  that 

of  the  Muskrat  [says  Rhoads],'*  his  tail  is  often  brought  to  play 
in  swimming.  I  have  no  doubt  that  the  anatomy  of  this 
species,  as  well  as  its  chosen  habitat,  infallibly  indicates  a  much 
more  aquatic  life  than  we  have  yet  been  able  to  prove  by  actual 
observation." 

This  accords  very  well  with  my  own  experience.  Two 
specimens  which  I  got  from  Toronto  marsh  were  taken  while 
swimming  in  the  water  under  the  ice. 

On  July  7,  1909,  at  Cos  Cob,  Conn.,  I  received  an  adult 
male  Star-nosed  Mole  captured  alive  by  a  stream,  not  in  the 
water,  but  running  along  a  mossy  bank. 


"  Fauna  Americana,  1825,  p.  39. 
"  Quad.  N.  A..  1849,  Vol.  H,  p.  14a. 
"  Mam.  Adir.,  1884,  p.  15a. 


"  Mam.  Penna,  1903,  p.  107. 


Star-nosed  Mole  1141 

With  the  help  of  a  commodious  cage  I  made  a  number 
of  observations.  When  put  in  deep  water  he  swam  swiftly 
and  strongly.  He  progressed  largely  by  the  sculling  action  of 
his  tail,  but  also  swam  with  all  four  feet,  striking  alternately, 
never  by  striking  with  both  hind-feet  at  once,  as  most  truly 
aquatic  quadrupeds  do  occasionally.    He  did  not  dive,  and 


K-d[DWio<Caidrti». 
(Twka  umral  riat.) 


f«>-»6r~SaauelCmiyhntHm».    (Nuonlriit.) 
Tttm  Tn*  Pioc.  V.  t.  N.  M.,  XDC,  lan. 


always  endeavoured  to  get  out  of  the  water  as  quickly  as  pos- 
sible. His  fur  got  very  wet  and  there  was  little  to  surest 
adaptation  to  a  truly  aquatic  life. 

He  dinibed  fairly  well  in  the  comer  of  the  cage  where 
helped  by  the  wire  netting,  but  could  not  get  up  where  the 
corner  was  of  rough  boards.  While  hanging  from  the  wires 
his  hmd-feet  were  his  chief  support,  but  he  was  greatly  helped 
7  *^^J^•^Vf  ^'<^»»  was  held  woodpecker-fashion  tight  against 
the  wall.  He  was  much  less  of  a  climber  than,  for  example 
the  Mtcrotus.  ■      ' 

In  the  middle  of  each  day  he  curled  up  and  slept  for  two 
or  three  hours.    At  night  he  was  very  active. 

When  pven  a  pile  of  loose  earth  in  which  were  many 
worms  he  shower*  great  delight,  and  dived  again  and  again 
through  the  pile,  sometimes  coming  out  with  a  worm,  and 
suggested  an  Otter  diving  in  a  salmon  river. 


• 


n 

If; 


I. 


I; 


NON- 

HIBBR- 

MANT 


TUNNEU 


POOD 


114S        Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 

His  fur,  previously  rough  and  ill-kempt,  was  left  beauti- 
fully velvety  by  this  operatior. 

Of  course  (he  species  is  non-hlbernant  and  is  often 
captured  during  its  very  active  winter  life. 

Merrlam  mentions"  having  seen  it  travelling  over  the  deep 
snow  in  March;  when  so  discovered,  it  tries  to  dive  down  out 
of  sight,  and  readily  does  so,  unless  a  hard  crust  bars  the  way. 

Its  manner  of  tunnelling  and  heaving  up  hills  is  precisely 
like  that  of  the  Pocket-gopher,  in  whose  biography  the  subject 
is  fully  treated. 

When  the  Star-nose  dwells  in  or  crosses  dry  ground,  it 
seems  not  easy  to  distinguish  its  work  from  that  of  other  Moles; 
both  are  marked  by  hills,  large  and  small,  on  crooked  galleries, 
that  sometimes  go  below,  and  sometimes  so  near  the  top  as  to 
be  ridges  of  loose  earth.  But  in  certain  kinds  of  country  it 
can  live  and  leave  behind  no  trace  of  excavation. 

An  interesting  circumstance  is  recorded  by  Miller."  At 
Peninsula  Harbor,  Ont.,  in  early  October,  he  found  the  remains 
of  a  Star-nose  in  the  stomach  of  a  rough-legged  hawk. 

A  similar  record  appears  in  "  Fisher's  Report  on  the  Food 
of  Hawks  and  Owls."" 

A  screech  owl,  taken  at  Washington,  D.  C,  on  June  a, 
1889,  had  in  its  stomach  a  Mole  of  the  present  species. 

Commenting  on  its  food,  Rhoads  says:"  "As  the  boggy 
nature  of  its  haunts  is  distasteful  to  earthworms  and  other 
animals  on  which  the  upland  Moles  subsist,  we  must  conclude 
that  these  form  but  a  small  part  of  its  diet,  but  the  numerous 
aquatic  and  subaquatic  insects  and  crustaceans  which  har- 
bour in  wet  meadows  and  stream  banks  would  form  bountiful 
supply." 

As  soon  as  the  above-named  captive  was  caged  I  gave 
him  1 2  grammes  of  common  worms.    He  paid  no  heed  for  half 


"  Mam.  Adir.,  1884,  p.  15a. 

"BuU.  3,  1893,  U.  S.  Dep.  Agr.,  p.  171. 

"  Mam.  Penna.,  1903,  p.  aoy. 


■•  Mam.  Ont.,  1897,  p.  39. 


Star-nosed  Mole 


114S 


V»N 


t 


t/O 


an  hour,  but  then  aroused  Hm«elf  and  fell  on  the  worms 
with  great  demonstration,  crntinualiy  twiddling  them  with  his 
%%  nose-fingers.     Though  avid,  h(   ate  them  slowly,  holdi  g 
them  with  his  fore-claws  and  tearing  them  up  before  devouring. 
In  half  an  hour  all  were  gone.     This  was  at  noon;  at  1^5 
he  seemed  ravenous  agair.    I  gave  him  a  similar  amount  of 
worms,  also  3  cutworm 
grubs;   these  latter  he 
ignored  while  the  former 
lasted.    Towards  night 

1  gave  the  Mole  about 

2  ounces  of  raw  beef,  of 
which  \  only  was  lean, 
the  rest   fat.     In   the  '-••«i-s««oionr.is«N»«di<oi. 

morning  all  the  lein  was  eaten  and  all  the  fat  rejected. 
Now  a  newly  killed  Deer-mouse  was  offered  to  him.  He 
sprang  on  this  with  much  demonstration  and  little  effect. 
After  twiddling  it  all  over,  he  began  on  the  eyts  and  then  ate 
the  brains  where  the  head  had  been  crushed  by  the  trap,  turn- 
ing back  the  skin.  By  next  morning  the  Deer-mouse  (it  weighed 
more  than  the  Mole)  was  devoured,  except  the  skin,  which  was 
neatly  turned  inside  out,  and  the  bones — even  the  smallest 
ribs  were  left  intact  and  quite  clean.  During  the  previous 
evening  he  ate  also  8  grammes  of  worms.  I  fcmd,  however, 
that  he  preferred  the  large  fat  white  grubs  that  i  *bund  under 
manure  piles  (Lachnosterna  fusca);  fo"  thesi  ,  c  neglected 
both  worms  and  Mouse.  A  large  blue  wasp  he  would  not 
touch;  also  a  stag-beetle  and  he  lived  imicably  together  till 
the  end.    He  refused  several     1  'ds  of  fa  inaceous  food. 

During  tne  second  night  he  escaped.  I  was  awakened  in  voice. 
my  room  (one  flight  down)  by  hearing  the  patter  of  small  feet  "^ 
on  the  floor;  as  I  stood  near  the  window  the  sound  came 
towards  me  and  I  felt  a  furry  creature  pushing  under  my  naked 
instep.  I  stooped  and  seized  it  in  the  dark;  a  strong  musky 
smell  and  a  faint  husky  squeak  informed  me  that  I  had  re- 
captured my  Star-nose.    This  was  the  only  time  I  heard  him 


1 


if  H 


USE 


0/ 


1144        Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 

utter  a  sound.    Possibly  he  was  injured  at  this  time,  as  he  died 
next  day. 

As  the  Star-nose  feeds  only  on  insects  and  worms,  utterly 
eschewing  seeds,  roots,  and  all  things  vegetable,  there  can  be 
no  very  serious  charge  against  it.  The  disfigurement  of  lawns 
is  the  only  one  that  has  ever  given  it  local  outlawry;  but  most 
naturalists  at  least  consider  this  fully  offset  by  the  good  it  does 
as  a  tiller  of  the  soil  on  lands  where  there  is  no  other  husband- 
man. 


if 


JJ 


1  I  ^\ 


r|lJl 


BATS 
ORDER  CHIROPTERA 


f  U1 


M 


1.' 


1 

l'>^' 

\ 

f     ' 

'W 


;  i 


Mi.     !    'i 


1^^ 


i 


^t 


LIV. 

Little  Brown-bat  or  Blunt-nosed  Bat. 

Myotis  lucifugus  (Le  Conte). 
(Gr.  mys,  mouse;  otU,  ear;  L.  lucis,  of  the  light;  jugus,  one  who  flies  from,  a  fugitive.) 

yespertilio  lucifugus  Le  Conte,  1831,  McMurtrie's  Cuvier, 

An.  King.  I,  p.  431. 
Myotis  lucifugus  Miller,  1897,  N.  Am.  Fauna,  No.  13,  p.  59. 

Type  Locality.— Georgia;  probably  near  Riceboro, 
Liberty  County. 

French  Canadian,  la  Chauve-souris  brunette. 
Cree,  Pee-kwa-nah-djee'  (applied  to  all  Bats). 
OjiB.,  Ah-pe-kwa-ttah-djee'  (applied  to  all  Bats). 

The  whole  Family,  Vespertilionida,  have  simple  noses,  that 
IS,  without  a  leaf  membrane;  turbinal  bones  folded;  palate 
deeply  notched  in  front;  molars  with  W-shaped  cusps;  tail, 
long  and  enclosed  to  the  tip  in  a  membrane  or  tail-web. 

The  sub-family,  Vespertilionina;,  have  6  lower  incisors, 
and  ears  separate  at  base. 

All  of  the  Manitoban  Bats  are  in  this  sub-family. 

The  genus  Myotis  (Kaup,  1829)  comprises  small,  slender 
Bats,  with  hairy  faces,  tapering  tragus,  long  tails,  naked  wings 
and  tail  membranes,  and  the  following  tooth  formula: 


2-2 


I-I 

I^ 


Inc.  ^;  can.  ^;  prem.  f-^;  mol.  ^  =  38 


Z-2 


3-3 


The  combination  of  4  upper  incisors  with  6  upper  pre- 
molars is  important. 

1147 


Ji 


1148       Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 


SIZE 


m  \ 


COLOUR 


Spread  9  to  10  inches. 

Coluur,    dull    brown. 


Same  size  aiid  colour, 
but  ear  and  tragu* 
lunger  and  ftlenderer. 
M.  subutattii. 


Length,  from  snout  to  tail-tip,  3  to  i\  inches  (76  to  89 
mm.);  forearm,  from  elbow  to  wrist,  if  to  if  (35  to  41  mm.); 
tibia,  ,»,  to  H  (14  to  17  mm.); 
spread  across  wings,  9  to  10 
inches  (229  to  254  mm.);  ears, 
"short  and  pointed,  reaching, 
when  laid  forward,  barely  to  tip 
of  the  nose." '     (Miller.) 

In  colour  it  is  everywhere  of 
a   dull  brown,  paler  below. 

In  discussing  a  highly  col- 
oured phase  of  the  British  Bar- 
bastelle.Sir  Harry  Johnston  says:' 
"In  some  other  Vespertilionid 
Bats  there  is  a  tendency  in  the 
breeding  season  for  the  males  to 
develop  a  rich  yellow  tinge  in  the 
lower  half  of  the  hair  of  the  un- 
der parts.  It  may  Ic  the  same  ten- 
dency which  tinged  the  fur  of  this 
example  with  a  purplish  'one." 

This  species  closely  resem- 
bles M.  subulatus,  but  may  be 
distinguished  by  its  shorter  ears, 
which  do  not  reach  to  the  end  of 
the  nose  (instead  of  considerably 
over),  and  by  its  shorter,  more.  ^ 
rounded  tragus  (see  Fig.  264.). 


Spread    ab 
Inches.  Colour,  black, 


with  silrery  tips. 


ui  iiH 

■■    :k. 


Spread  13  to  13  inches. 
Colour,    dull    brown. 


Spread  about  i>  inches' 
Colour,  bright  clear 
oranye,  with  some  sil- 
Tcr  tipping.    L.  b<nt' 


Spread  15  to  17  inches. 

Colour,  yellowish.with 
siWer  tipping;  the  ear- 
rims  and  snout  black. 
L.  amtrtus. 


Fig.  364 — The  Bats  found  in  Manitoba.    (AU 
life  Mze.) 

To  serve  as  a  key  in  diagnosing  the  species. 


Three  races  are  recognized: 

lucifugus  (LeConte),  the 

typical  form. 

alascensis  Miller,  darker  in  colour,  and  with  longer  ears. 
longicrus  (True),  like  lucifugus,  but  larger,  and  with 

proportionately  longer  legs,  and  shorter  ears  and 

arms. 


'  N.  A.  Fauna,  No.  13,  1897,  p.  60. 


'Brit.  Mam.,  1903,  p.  104. 


vm 


f  't 


kV. 


MAP  63— RAHGE  OF  THE  LITTLE  BROWN-BAT  AND  ITS  THREE  RACES. 
AfjwM  luctfiigm  (Le  Conte). 

1149 


1150       Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 


*J. 


Life-history. 

RANGE  The  range  of  this  well-known,  yet  mysterious,  little  creat- 

ure is  nearly  all  of  North  America,  excepting  the  tropics  and 
the  polar  regions.  The  map  (No.  63)  sets  forth  these  facts 
with  black  spots  for  the  actual  records.  The  only  Manitoban 
specimen  I  have  is  from  Poplar  Point. 

This  is  a  cave  Bat — the  common  spe^-ies  indeed  of  the 
Mammoth  Cave  of  Kentucky— and  when  no  caves  are  available, 
it  finds  acceptable  substitutes  in  hollow  trees  and  farm  build- 
ings, rarely  frequenting  towns. 

In  old-established,  happily  placed  hiding-places  it  is  usual 
for  many  to  congregate.  Thus  the  species  is  gregarious  and 
•.o  some  extent  sociable,  since  the  individuals  profit  by  each 
other's  company  in  the  matter  of  warmth. 


ENVIRON 
MENT 


SOOA- 
BIUTY 


FUGHT 


In  flight,  the  Little  Brown-bat  may  be  distinguished  from 
its  remote  kin  by  its  small  size,  its  early  evening  appearance, 
and  its  erratic  course.  I  do  not  know  how  to  tell  it  from 
suhulatus. 

Oftentimes  the  chimney-swifts  are  out  so  late  as  to  fly 
with  this  species.  There  are  points  of  resemblance  in  their 
flight,  though  that  of  the  swift  is  without  the  erratic  dodging. 
Furthermore,  it  is  usual  to  see  2  or  3  swifts  careering  along 
side  by  side — a  sociable  style  that  I  have  never  seen  in  any  Bat. 


t't 


VOICE  The  voice  of  this,  and  indeed  of  all  our  Bats,  is  an  exceed- 

ingly fine  squeak,  finer  than  that  of  a  Mouse,  and  often  heard 
as  they  fly  close  overhead  at  night.  When  captured  they 
utter  a  volley  of  these  squeaks,  varied  with  a  hissing  and 
fizzing  sound.  If  a  'battery'  be  disturbed,  they  combine  in  a 
deafening  and  unpleasant  chorus  of  squeaking  and  chirring, 
that  reminds  one  of  a  nest  of  young  swifts  at  food-time. 

It  is  a  well-known  fact  that  some  persons,  with  otherwise 
perfect  hearing,  cannot  hear  a  Bat's  squeak.     Millais  writes:' 

•  Mam.  G.  B.  &  I.,  Vol.  I,  1904,  p.  54. 


Little  Brown-bat 


1151 


"There  is  an  odd  suoerstition  in  Suss.'x  that  persons  over 
40  years  of  age  are  unabk  to  hear  the  cry  of  a  Bat." 

According  to  Tyndail,*  "the  human  ear  is  Hmited  in  its 
range  of  hearing  musical  sounds.  If  the  vibrations  number 
less  than  16  a  second,  we  are  conscious  only  of  the  separate 
shocks.  If  they  c;  reed  38,000  a  second,  the  consciousness  of 
sound  ceases  altogether. 

"  I'he  range  of  the  best  ear  covers  about  1 1  octaves,  but  an 
auditory  range  limited  to  6  or  7  octaves  is  not  uncommon. 

"The  sounds  available  in  music  are  produced  by  vibra- 
tions comprised  between  the  limits  of  40  and  4,000  a  second. 
They  embrace  7  octaves.' 

"While  endeavouring  to  estimate  the  pitch  o*" certain  sharp 
sounds.  Dr.  Wollaston  remarked  in  a  friend  a  total  insensi- 
bility to  the  sound  of  a  small  organ-pipe,  which,  in  respect  to 
acuteness,  was  far  within  the  ordinary  limits  of  hearing.  The 
sense  of  hearing  of  this  person  terminated  at  a  note  4  octaves 
above  the  middle  £  of  the  pianoforte.  The  squeak  of  the  Bat, 
the  sound  of  a  cricket,  even  the  chirrup  of  the  common  house- 
sparrow,  are  unheard  by  some  people  who  for  lower  sounds 
possess  a  sensitive  ear.  A  difference  of  a  single  note  is  some- 
times sufficient  to  produce  the  change  Irom  sound  to  silence. 

"'Nothing  can  be  more  surprising,'  writes  Sir  John 
Herschel,  'than  to  see  two  persons,  neither  of  them  deaf,  the 
one  complaining  of  the  penetrating  shrillness  of  a  sound,  while 
the  other  maintains  there  is  no  sound  at  all.'  Thus,  while 
one  person  mentioned  by  Dr.  Wollaston  could  but  just  hear  a 
note  4  octaves  abo.e  the  middle  £  of  the  pianoforte,  others 
have  a  distinct  perception  of  sounds  full  2  ortaves  high-'r.  The 
chirrup  of  the  sparrow  is  about  the  former  limit;  the  cry  of  the 
Bat,  about  an  octave  above  it;  and  that  of  some  insects,  prob- 
ably, another  octave.  In  'The  Glaciers  of  the  Alps'  I  have 
referred  to  a  case  of  short  auditory  range  noticed  by  myself, 
in  crossing  the  Wengern  Alps  in  company  with  a  friend.  The 
grass  at  each  side  of  the  path  swarmed  with  insects,  which  to 


'Sound,  p.  81. 

'  Each  note  has  double  the  vibrations  of  its  octave  below. 


H5«        Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 


1. 


MATINO 


GESTA- 
TION 


me  rent  the  air  with  their  shrill  chirruping.  My  friend  heard 
nothing  of  this,  the  insect  music  lying  beyond  his  limit  of 
audition." 

Birds,  we  know,  are  gifted  with  a  great  range  of  sounds  to 
express  their  varying  emotions.  Shrews  and  Bats,  being  in 
general  much  more  highly  organized  than  birds,  have  probably 
a  much  greater  range  of  sounds. 

There  is  every  reason  to  believe  that  they  have  at  least 
as  many  varied  calls  as  a  crow  or  a  magpie,  including  even 
a  song  for  the  season  of  love;  and  yet,  because  of  our  dull  ears, 
these  things  are  in  a  sealed  book,  and  the  older  we  grow  the 
more  curtailed  is  our  pov  er  of  peeping  even  at  the  covers. 

There  is  little  evidence  on  the  mating  of  Bats.  Each 
year  in  late  August  or  early  September  they  are  seen  in  unusual 
numbers,  rushing  about  and  chasing  each  other  in  great  ex- 
citement, for  one  or  two  evenings.  Specimens  collected  at 
such  a  time  show,  by  the  enlarged  sexual  organs,  that  now  is  the 
rutting  season.  I  saw  this  in  a  marked  degree  at  Owen  Sound, 
Ont.,  on  August  17,  1889.  About  nine  in  the  evening  the  Bats 
appeared  in  hundreds,  and  circled  around  the  electric  lights 
like  swarming  bees.  They  were  chasing  each  other  in  the 
greatest  excitement.  I  think  that  without  doubt  this  was  the 
rut.  Next  evening  it  seemed  to  be  over,  and  the  number  of 
Bats  went  down  to  3  or  4  in  sight  at  one  time.  I  am  not  sure 
what  kinds  predominated,  but  have  little  doubt  that  the  present 
species  was  represented.  I  saw  a  similar  demonstration  at 
Cos  Cob,  Conn.,  September  7,  1906. 

Gestation  is  unusually  long  in  all  of  this  group,  and  ap- 
parently 10  months  in  the  present  species,  as  the  young  are 
not  born  till  June.  C.  L.  Herrick  says:*  "Although  northern 
species  mate  ordinarily  in  autumn,  eggs  are  not  fertilized  until 
spring,  when  impregnation  takes  place."  The  observations  on 
which  this  is  founded  are  not  given;  it  implies  a  number  of 
unusual  modifications. 

"  Mam.  Minn.,  189a,  p.  33. 


Little  Brown-bat 


115S 


The  sum  of  many  observations  shows  that  the  young  are  youno 
usually  2  in  number,  but  occasionally  i,  and,  on  rare  occa- 
sions, 3. 

We  have  no  direct  light  on  the  parturition  of  any  of  our  partu- 
Bats,  but  the  observations  of  M.  Rolinat  and  Dr.  E.  Trouessart  ""°'* 
on  Vespertilio  murinus,  a  common  Bat  in  France,*  will  afford 
valuable  side-light. 

On  June  9  they  saw  a  captive  female  clinging  to  the  wire 
of  the  cage,  head  up.  The  hind-legs  were  much  spread;  the 
tail  was  curved  up  in  front.  Her  flanks  were  heaving  and  she 
seemed  in  pain.  At  10  the  left  knee  of  the  little  one  appeared. 
The  mother  made  violent  efforts  to  lick  it  and  uttered  a  feeble 
cry  like  rapidly  opening  and  shutting  the  lips.  At  10:20  the 
body  of  the  little  one  appeared.  It  was  at  once  licked  by  the 
mother.  At  10:30  the  body,  and  immediately  afterwards  the 
head  and  front  limbs  came  forth,  and  the  new-born  dropped 
into  the  sack  made  by  the  interfemoral  membrane.  The 
mother  had  been  much  agitated,  but  now  grew  calmer,  and  she 
licked  the  young  one  vigorously.  Thus  stimulated,  it  climbed 
out  of  the  pouch  and  hung  on  to  the  old  one's  fur.  At  10:55 
the  mother  turned  nearly  head  down,  and  the  young  one  seized 
the  left  teat,  to  which  it  continued  attached  for  several  days. 
It  was  blind  at  birth,  but  its  eyes  opened  on  the  fifth  day.  On 
the  thirteenth  day  it  quit  its  mother's  protecting  wing,  and 
thenceforth  roosted  much  alongside. 

These  observers  conclude  that  it  is  the  habit  of  the  mother 
to  carry  her  young  one  with  her  as  she  flies,  until  it  is  about  2 
weeks  old,  after  which  she  leaves  it  at  home  in  the  den. 

At  35  days  the  one  described  above  was  still  nursing. 

At  50  days  it  was  eating  cockroaches. 

At  2  months  it  no  longer  nursed,  and  would  eat  34  to  37 
cockroaches  each  night. 

Rhoads  says:'  "These  [the  young  of  lucifugus]  cling  by 
their  mouths  to  the  teats  of  the  mother  until  large  enough  to 

'  Sur  la  reproduction  des  Cbauve-Souris,  Mem.  Soc.  Zool.  de  France,  1896,  DC, 
pp.  330-1  and  334. 

*  Mam.  Penn.,  1903,  p.  309. 


HABITS 


11A4        Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 

grasp  her  body.  Thus  laden,  she  pursues  her  nightly  avoca- 
tions until  they  can  be  left  'hung  up'  in  some  secret  place  till 
her  return." 

None  of  our  Bats  is  known  to  make  anything  in  the 
nature  of  a  nest.  During  the  second  period  of  their  infancy, 
that  is,  till  they  are  able  to  fly,  the  young  remain  at  home,  and 
arc  fed  by  the  mother.  When  about  three  months  old  they 
fly  and  forage  for  themselves. 

The  father  is  not  known  to  help  in  rearing  the  young. 

Some  curious  observations  on  this  Bat  appear  in  Stone  and 
Cram's  "American  Animals."*  A  number  of  the  species  used 
to  spend  the  day  behind  the  blind  of  an  open  window  in  their 
New  Hampshire  house.  During  August,  1898,  an  exact  count 
was  kept  of  their  number,  resulting  in  proof  that  they  regularly 
congregated  there  Sunday  nights,  and  grew  fewer  towards  the 
middle  of  the  week.  The  four  weeks  stood  thus  (Sundays  are 
in  heavy  type): 


POWERS 


? 

? 

4 

16 

9 

4 

2 

5 

10 

10 

18 

10 

2 

0 

0 

I 

I 

? 

3 

2 

0 

0 

0 

I 

2 

3 

0 

0 

This  periodicity  may  have  been  chance;  it  may  have  been 
that  their  alternate  roost  was  in  a  church  which  was  made 
intolerable  to  them  by  SunH  service,  or  it  may  point  to  some 
rotary  food-habit,  for  which  there  are  many  precedents.  It  is 
indeed  a  rule  for  some  predaceous  creatures  to  hunt  in  different 
places  at  regular  times,  taking  them  in  something  like  serial 
order,  on  a  calendar  dictated  by  the  local  attractions. 

The  abo/e  record  would  have  still  greater  value  if  it  stated 
what  proportion  of  each  sex  was  represented  each  time. 

Its  envied  conquest  of  the  realms  of  air  seems  the  Bat's 
most  wonderful  gift.  And  yet  more  marvellous,  though  less 
spectacular,  is  its  astonishing  sense  of  touch,  which,  perhaps 

'Am.  Animals,  1903,  p.  199. 


Little  Brown-bat 


llM 


more  often  than  its  eyes,  averts  the  wreck  and  ruin  that  im- 
petuous flight  in  gloomy  wood?  might  bring. 

It  is  needful,  indeed,  that  these  two  fairy  gifts  should 
dwell  in  complement  of  each  other. 

Writing  of  the  wing-membrane,  Harrison  Allen  says:" 

"It  is  in  this  latter  structure  that  the  sense  of  touch 
chie  ^y  resides.  The  bones  of  the  extremities  being  cover  J  on 
either  side  with  an  enduplication  of  skin,  form  a  framework 
upon  both  sides  of  which  the  papilla  of  touch  are  extensively 
distributed.  This  function,  in  many  places,  is  probably  aided 
by  the  delicate  hairs  which  are  sparsely  distributed  linearly 
upon  the  under  surfaces  of  the  membranes.  These  may  per- 
form a  function  analogous  to  that  observed  in  the  labial 
whiskers  which  are  so  prominent  in  the  FeliJt.  Spallanzani 
was  the  first  to  notice  the  high  development  to  which  this  sense 
had  been  brought  in  these  animals.  His  experiment  is  well 
known,  but  will  bear  repetition  here: 

"  'In  1793,  Spallanzani  put  out  the  eyes  of  a  Bat,  and  ob-  sensb. 
served  that  it  appeared  to  fly  with  as  much  ease  as  before,  and  "^^^ 
without  striking  against  objects  in  its  way,  following  .he  curve 
of  a  ceiling,  and  avoiding  with  accuracy  everything  against 
which  it  was  expected  to  strike.  Not  only  were  blinded  Bats 
capable  of  avoiding  such  objects  as  parts  of  a  building,  but  they 
shunned  with  equal  address  the  most  delicate  obstacles,  even 
silken  threads  stretched  in  such  a  manner  as  to  leave  just  space 
enough  for  them  to  pass  with  their  wings  expanded.  When 
these  threads  were  placed  closer  together,  the  Bats  contracted 
their  wings  in  order  to  pass  between  them  without  touching. 
They  also  passed  with  the  same  security  between  branches  of 
trees  placed  to  intercept  them,  and  suspended  themselves  by 
the  wall,  etc.,  with  as  much  ease  as  if  they  could  see  dis- 
tinctly.'"" 

Cuvier's  explanation  (1796)  was  that  during  the  flight  of 
the  blinded  Bat,  the  waves  of  air  set  in  motion  by  its  wings 
reacted  against  their  acutely  sensitive  surface  in  proportion, 

"  Monog.  BaU.  N.  A.,  1864,  pp.  xv-xvi. 
"  Godmans  Am.  Nat.  Hist.,  I,  i8a6,  p.  57. 


m 


liae       Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 


•  i! 


as  it  approached  the  solid  object  from  which  these  had 
recoiled,  and  thus  the  creature  had  timely  warning. 

A  comprehensive  abstract  of  an  article  by  Dr.  Joseph 
SchobI,  of  Prague,  regarding  the  sense-power  of  Bats,  appeared 
in  the  American  Naturalist  for  May,  1871:" 

Dr.  SchobI  repeated  the  early  experiments,  but  for  the 
putting  out  of  the  eyes  he  substituted  the  more  humane 
method  of  covering  them  with  adhesive  plaster.  He  kept 
Bats  thus  treated  for  a  year  alive  in  his  room,  and  entirely 
confirmed  Spallanzani's  observations. 

The  experiment  was  repeated  in  detail  recently  by  A. 
Whitaker,  of  Barnsley,  Eng.  His  observations  are  thus  detailed 
by  Miilais:"  "He  obtained  a  Natterer's  Bat  and  covered  its 
closed  eyes  with  wax,  fastening  it  with  a  little  patch  of 
rubber  and  solution,  and  then  released  the  Bat  in  a  room  in 
which  it  had  not  been  before.  When,  on  previous  occasions, 
other  Bats  had  been  at  liberty  in  this  room,  they  had  usually 
circled  round  close  to  the  ceiling;  but  this  blinded  Bat  at  first 
flew  in  a  hesitating  manner,  and  then,  gaining  confidence,  went 
straight  towards  the  closed  door.  It  stopped  when  about  six 
inches  away,  and  hovered  slowly  along  the  line  of  the  top  and 
right  down  the  side,  without  doubt  keeping  its  position  through 
its  sensitiveness  to  the  slight  draught  whi  "h  came  through  the 
tiny  chink.  Finding  no  opening  large  enough  to  ge:  through, 
it  flew  quickly  down  the  room  towards  the  fireplace,  no  doubt 
again  feeling  the  draught,  but  turned  away  when  it  felt  the  heat 
of  the  fire.  It  flitted  then  close  to  the  wainscot,  hesitating  re- 
peatedly at  a  spot  where  the  woodwork  was  a  little  sprung,  and 
there  was  again  a  sensible  draught.  It  flew  quickly,  passing 
under  chairs,  of  which  there  were  twelve  in  the  room  besides 
other  furniture,  and  never  even  touched  anything  with  the  tips 
of  its  wings.  An  attempt  to  catch  it  showed  that,  although 
incapable  of  sight,  it  was  well  able  to  dodge;  but  it  constantly 
stopped  in  its  flight,  hovered,  and  scratched  at  the  covering  over 
its  eyes.    When  a  stick  was  held  in  its  direct  path,  it  avoided  it 

"Am.  Nat,  Vol.  V.,  No.  3,  May,  1871,  pp  174-5. 

»  Mam.  G.  B.  &  I.,  Miilais,  1904-5-6,  Vol.  I,  pp.  96-7. 


Little  Brown-bat 


1157 


when  three  or  four  inches  '.way.  When  it  wanted  to  rett  it 
settled  on  one  of  the  weights  of  a  gas  chandelier  in  quite  an 
orthodox  manner,  and  when  a  hand  was  stretched  out  to  capt- 
ure it,  it  flew  off  again  before  it  was  touched.  This  experi- 
ment is  interesting,  especially  when  we  hear  that  the  animal's 
sight  was  in  no  way  injured  when  the  wax  was  removed;  it 
shows  that  the  power  of  ascertaining  the  presence  of  an  object 
does  not  depend  entirely  upon  sight,  and  that  the  difference  of 
air  pressure  was  perceptible  by  the  animal." 

"To  account  for  these  phenomena  [says  MerriamJ*  the 
wings  of  Bats  have  been  examined  for  peculiar  nerve  endings, 
by  Cuvier,  Leydig,  and  Krausc,  but  without  any  success.  The 
^thor's  discoveries  are  therefore  quite  new  to  science.  The 
following  is  a  short  abstract  of  his  [Dr.  SchObl's]  results. 
The  Bat's  wing-nembrane  consist  of  2  sheets  of  skin,  the  upper 
dej-ived  from  that  of  the  back,  the  lower  from  that  of  the  belly. 
The  epidermic  and  Malpighian  layers  in  each  sheet  remain 
separate,  while  the  true  skin  is  inseparably  fused.  In  this  fused 
medium  layer  are  imbedded  the  muscles,  nerves,  vessels,  etc., 
of  the  wing.  ♦  *  ♦  The  whole  wing  is  covered,  both  on  the 
upper  and  under  surface,  with  extremely  fine,  sparsely  scattered 
hairs.  *  *  ♦  Each  hair-sac  has  from  2  to  7  sebaceous  glands, 
according  to  the  species,  and  one  sweat  gland  opening  into  its 
sac.  The  2  outer  fibrous  layers  of  the  hair-sac  have  no  sharp 
line  of  demarcation  to  separate  them  from  th'  surrounding 
connective  tissue,  but  the  inner,  or  hyaline  coai,  is  highly  de- 
veloped, and,  after  being  constricted  beneath  the  hair  bulb, 
widens  out  and  encloses  the  sense-bodies  (Tastkbrperchen),one  sense 
of  which  organs  is  connected  with  each  hair. 

"The  nerves  of  the  wings  may  be  considered  to  consist  of 
5  layers,  i.  e.,  there  is  one  occupying  the  centre  of  a  transverse 
section  of  the  wing,  which  gives  off  on  each  side  of  it  4  others, 
and  these  are  successively  finer  and  finer  as  they  approach  the 
opposite  surfaces.  The  inner  layer  and  the  one  immediately 
on  each  side  of  it  consist  of  nerve  fibres  with  dark  borders,  the 
other  layers  of  pale  fibres  only.    The  tastkbrperchen  arc  con- 

"  Mam.  Adir.,  1884,  pp.  185-7. 


BODIES 


!'l     f- 


^.•»li 


:r 


1158        Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 

nected  with  the  second  layer.  The  fifth  layer,  of  finest  fibres, 
ends  as  a  network  between  the  innermost  layer  of  cells  of  the 
Malpighian  layer  of  the  epidermis.  The  tastkbrperchen  are 
ihaped  like  a  fir-cone  with  a  rounded  apex  turned  inwards. 
They  lie  immediately  below  the  root  of  the  hair;  and  their  core, 
or  central  substance,  is  formed  of  a  prolongation  of  the  cells 
forming  the  2  root-sheaths,  of  the  hair.  Their  length  is  0.0259, 
and  their  breadth  0.0175  mm.  A  nerve  containing  about  6 
dark-edged  fibres  is  distributed  to  each  kbrperchen.  Just 
before  the  nerve  reaches  this  organ  it  splits  into  2,  and  3  fibres 
pass  to  one  side  of  it,  3  to  the  other.  The  fibres  are  then 
wound  round  the  body  so  as  to  sheath  its  cellular  core.  Dr. 
Schbbl  thinks  it  probable  that  the  fibres  on  one  side  are  con- 
tinuous with  those  on  the  opposite  side,  and  that  there  is  thus 
a  bipolar  arrangement  here.  He  attributes  to  the  fine  network 
of  pale  nerve  fibres  belonging  to  the  fifth  layer  the  appreciation 
of  temperature,  pain,  etc. ;  tu  the  tastkbrperchen  the  highly 
exalted  sense  of  touch.  It  is  curious  that  both  kinds  of  nerve 
endings  are  connected  with  the  Malpighian  layer  of  skin." 

Some  have  sought  to  prove  that  the  greatly  developed  ears 
were  the  organs  of  this  far-feeling,  but  the  sum  of  evidence 
goes  to  show  that  in  nearly  all  parts  of  its  skin  the  Bat  has 
these  highly  developed  nerve  endings  which  endow  it  with  such 
exquisite  sensibility. 

The  purpose  of  the  antitragus  has  been  supposed  by  some 
to  be  closing  the  tragus,  to  protect  its  ear,  while  the  animal 
slept.  But  Millais  points  out  that  during  sleep  it  hangs  out- 
wards, leaving  the  ear  still  wider  open. 


:  ( 


ti\ 


FUGHT 


The  riight  of  all  Bats  is  ideal;  their  mastery  of  the  air 
is  perfect;  far  better,  indeed,  than  that  of  most  birds.  I  am 
almost  tempted  to  say,  than  that  of  any  bird.  Nothing  but 
recollections  of  swallow  and  falcon  restrain  the  phrase.  In  one 
way  at  least  the  Bat  excels  even  these — his  flight  is  absolutely 
silent.  He  skims  and  darts  and  turns  within  a  foot  of  one's 
head,  but  never  a  swish  of  his  wings  is  heard.    The  only  bird 


ggt- 


itoiliBi 


iilHirflM 


Little  Brown-bat 


1159 


that  can  approach  him  in  silence  is  the  slow,  lumbering  owl. 
I  have  heard  it  passed  as  a  compliment  to  a  certain  owl — his 
flight  recalled  that  of  a  big  Bat. 

A  curious  circumstance  that  at  first  sight  looks  like  an 
exception  to  this  rule  is  thus  commented  on  by  Merriam :" 

"In  localities  where  we  had  hunted  Bats  for  some  time 
Dr.  Fisher  and  I  have  on  several  occasions  heard  a  Bat, 
when  swooping  overhead,  produce  a  sound  which  was  dis- 
tinctly audible  at  a  distance  of  several  paces.  But  in  each 
instance,  if  the  Bat  rose  against  the  clear  western  horizon,  we 
saw  the  light  shine  through  numerous  perforations  in  its  wings, 
and  the  noise  was  unquestionably  produced  by  the  whistling 
of  the  air  through  these  shot  holes." 

During  a  recent  motor  trip,  near  Naples,  I  had  an  oppor-  speed 
tunity  of  gauging  the  speed  of  certain  Bats.     About  sun- 
down a  considerable  number  of  them  appeared;  they  were  of 
two  sizes.  The  larger  easily  kept  pace  with  the  motor-car  which 
was  going  20  miles  an  hour;  the  smaller  dropped  behind. 

So  far  as  known,  all  our  Bats  are  exclusively  insectivorous,  food 
The  Shrew  may  eat  fruit,  the  Blarina  may  vary  his  diet  of 
worms  with  nuts  and  grain,  but  the  Bat  at  all  times  and  places 
is  found  destroying  only  the  little  foemen  that  men  hate. 

The  evidence  relating  to  the  British  Long-eared  Bat  may 
help  us  to  a  knowledge  of  Bat  foods  in  general.  This  species 
is  known  to  feed  on  moths  and  the  largest  insects,  and  J.  G. 
Millais  says'*  that  "when  capturing  its  prey,  the  Long-eared 
Bat,  in  common  with  several  other  species,  uses  the  inter- 
femoral  pouch  as  a  trap  or  bag  in  which  to  hold  its  captive 
until  it  is  firmly  gripped." 

He  cites  several  instances  to  show  that  Bats  do  this  either 
when  taking  insects  on  the  wing  or  picking  them  off  flowers  and 
twigs. 

All  our  Bats  are  great  drinkers,  going  twice  a  day  at  least 
to  the  water  and  indulging  in  copious  draughts.     It  is  probable 

»  Mam.  Adir,  1884,  p.  188.  »  P.  47. 


nmmgiiii^ 


I  i 


M 


>  R, 


y; 


'li 


TOILET 


SLEEP- 
ING 


STRANGE 
IMMU- 
NITY 


1160       Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 

that  this  and  all  our  species  have  2  feed  times  each  day— one 
at  sundown,  one  before  sunrise.  Never  by  any  chance  do  they 
work  between  meals,  but  return  to  their  dens  to  repose,  thus 
living  a  life  that,  according  to  some  of  our  prophets,  is  ideal. 

The  behaviour  of  this  Bat  when  performing  its  toilet  is 
thus  described  by  Stone  and  Cram:" 

One  near  the  middle  of  the  row  was  wide-awake ;  washing 
himself  after  the  manner  of  a  cat,  he  would  lick  his  foot  or  r\ 
portion  of  his  wing  and  rub  his  head  with  it  the  wrong  way  of 
the  fur,  and  scratch  himself  rapidly  behind  the  ear  with  one  of 
his  little  thumb  nails  at  the  bend  of  his  wing,  the  long  bone  of 
his  forearm  beating  a  tattoo  on  n.e  glass  beside  him  as  he  did 
so.  The  elasticity  of  the  wing-menibrane  is  truly  astonishing; 
he  would  seize  an  edge  of  it  in  his  mouth  and  stretch  it  into  all 
kinds  of  grotesque  shapes  i.i  his  endeavour  to  get  it  clean 
enough  to  suit  his  fancy,  and  sometimes,  when  at  work  on  the 
mside,  he  would  wrap  his  head  up  in  it  entirely,  the  thin 
rubbery  stuff  conforming  to  the  general  outline  of  his  skull  in 
the  most  startling  manner." 

"The  method  of  alighting  is  first  by  the  wing  or  arm-hooks, 
head  upward,  assisted  by  the  hind-feet.  As  soon  as  the  latter 
are  firmly  implanted,  the  Bat  turns  head  downwards  and  hangs 
by  the  sharply  recurved  nails  of  the  hind-feet."«»  (Rhoads.) 
Millais  says  "  of  the  Greater  Horse-shoe  Bat  in  England: 
"When  this  Bat  is  preparing  to  sleep,  it  begins  to  doze 
gradually,  nodding  its  head  a  little  and  ceasing  to  look  about; 
finally,  its  head  falls  and  hangs  straight,  and  the  whole  animal' 
commences  to  shiver.  This  muscular  movement  soon  ceases, 
and  the  animal  is  asleep." 

The  singular  specialization  of  Bats  is  further  evidenced 
m  the  following  remarks  by  Sir  Harry  Johnston  on  the  Noc- 
tule,  a  British  kinsman  of  the  present  speci»js:'«  "It  would 
seem  to  possess  a  relative  insensibility  to  the  effects  of  poison. 


"  American  Animals,  1902,  p.  199. 
'•  Mam.  G.  Br.,  1904-6,  Vol.  I,  p.  30. 


"  VL„av  r  !nn.  and  N.  J.,  1903,  p!  909. 
"  Br.  Mdm.,  1903,  p.  89. 


ma 


Little  Brown-bat 


1161 


HIBER- 
NATION 


One  living  specimen  had  a  drop  of  prussic  acid  placed  on  its 
tongue,  and  was  some  time  dying.  Meantime,  its  parasites 
(all  Bats  are  much  afflicted  with  fleas  and  lice)  dropped  off 
dead  from  the  poisoned  blood." 

With  flight  equal  to  that  of  birds,  why  should  not  these  in-  migra 
sect-eaters  migrate  when  cold  weather  cuts  off  the  food  supply  ?  SSf 

Such  light  as  we  have  indicates  that  all  of  our  6  species  of 
Bats  are  migratory,  and  yet  hibernate.  If  we  divide  the  range 
of  the  present  species  in  3  equal  parts  along  the  lines  of 
equal  temperature,  we  shall  find  that  in  summer  the  bulk  of  it 
is  in  the  middle  and  north  parts;  in  winter,  is  found  in  the 
south  and  middle  parts;  and,  wherever  it  is,  the  individuals 
hibernate  during  frosty  weather,  but  are  always  ready  to  come 
forth  from  cave  and  hollow  tree  and  resume  active  life  as  soon 
and  so  long  as  the  temperature  permits. 

Instances  of  this  I  noted  at  Wyndygoul  Park  in  the  fall  of 
1908.  One  or  two  small  Bats  were  about  each  night  after 
sundown  through  September  and  early  October.  In  the  mid- 
dle of  the  latter  month  were  two  or  three  frosty  nights,  during 
which  no  Bats  were  seen.  On  the  16th  the  weather  was  warm 
again  and  I  saw  a  small  Bat  on  the  wing;  another  on  October 
18;  none  afterwards.  This,  it  seems  to  me,  almost  proves  that 
these  Bats  went  into  a  temporary  cold-sleep  during  the  frosty 
spell,  but  took  advantage  of  the  later  warm  days  to  migrate 
southwards,  since  they  are  not  known  to  xrnfy  for  all  winter. 

From  the  nature  of  their  haunts,  the  Bats  have  little  to  enemies 
fear  from  larger  enemies  by  day,  and  through  the  power  of  their 
flight  they  are  safe  from  most  flyers  by  night.  The  fact  that 
bat-remains  have  been  found  in  owl-pellets  is  of  sinister  signifi- 
cation, but  must  have  been  exceptional,  for  I  should  as  soon 
expect  a  Bear  to  catch  a  Jack-rabbit  as  an  owl  to  capture  a  Bat 
in  open  space. 

The  worst  known  enemies  of  the  group  are  undoubtedly 
fur-lice.    Dr.  Harrison  Allen  remarks:" 

»  Monog.  Bats.  N.  A.,  1864,  p.  xxl 


■■IMta 


i  ii\ 


i  > 


1162        Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 

"The  fact  mentioned  above  of  the  numerous  parasites 
infesting  Bats  is  perhaps  the  most  revolting  feature  in  these 
creatures.  The  enormous  population  of  A  can  found  upon  their 
bodies  is  due  to  the  great  generation  of  animal  heat  in  their 
close  haunts,  a  condition  conducive  to  a  rapid  increase  of  all 
kinds  of  vermin.  In  this  country  the  common  bed-bug  (Cimex 
lectularis)  is  frequently  found  upon  their  fur.  The  entrance 
of  a  Bat  with  its  precious  burden  into  the  open  window  of  a 
farm-house  is  the  solution  of  that  frequently  propounded 
question  of  the  despairing  housewife — 'Where  can  the  bugs 
come  from?'" 

It  is  only  fair  to  these  much  misunderstood  and  maligned 
creatures  of  the  night  to  add  that  no  one  else  has  remarked  it, 
and  many  observers,  including  so  good  an  authority  as  S.  N. 
Rhoads,  discredit  the  bed-bug  theory  altogether. 


m 


i'^' 


m\ 


r.fi  • 


If 


AidH 


iiHH 


LV. 

Say  Bat. 

Myotis  subulatus  (Say). 
(L.  subulatus,  from  subuia,  an  awl,  noting  the  awl-shape  of  the  tragus.) 

Vespertilio  subulatus  Say,  1823,  Long's  Exp.  Rocky  Mts.,  II, 

p.  65. 
Myotis  subulatus  Miller,  1897,  N.  Am.  Fauna,  No.  13,  p.  75. 
Type  Locality. — ^Arkansas  River,  near  La  Junta,  Colo. 

French  Canadian,  la  Chauve-souris  de  Say. 

This  species  so  closely  resembles  M.  lucifugus  that 
naturalists  did  not  recognize  their  distinctness  until  recently. 
The  most  obvious  difference  is  in  the  relative  length  of  the  cars, 
which,  when  drawn  forward,  do  not  reach  the  end  of  the  muzzle 
in  lucifugus,  while  in  subulatus  they  overlap  it  by  iV  to  A 
of  an  inch  (2  to  5  mm.).  But  the  long  thin  tragus  is  equally 
distinctive  (see  Fig.  264,  p.  1148). 

Two  races  are  recognized: 

subulatus  Say,  the  typical  form. 
keeni  Merriam,  with  longer  ears  and  tail,  and  darker 
colour. 

Life-history. 


It  has  not  been  taken  in  Manitoba,  but  it  will  be  seen  by 
the  map  (No.  64)  that  the  Province  falls  within  the  probable 
range  of  the  species. 

lies 


i 


■MaMUMHHI^ 


w 


\ . 


II 


MAP  64— RAHGE  OF  THE  SAY  BAT. 

Myolh  tubulaha  (Say). 


dark  '^«:X;^p^^'^fT.A:r^^^^^  i^S- ^h.  ou.li«  »  *.  W„.  C„„.  U  U«  atretic.  «,.  d  4. 


ktriiian 


1164 


bay  Bat 


1165 


It  is  much  rarer  than  M.  lucifugus,  and  we  have  hue  little 
light  on  its  habits. 

At  Lake  Nipissing,  Ont.,  it  seems  to  be  common,  which  i.s 
somewhat  of  a  surprise.  Gerrit  S.  Miller,  Jr.,  who  found  it 
there,  says:' 

"At  North  Bay  I  shot  5  of  these  Bats  as  they  flew  along 
the  roadways  through  the  woods  at  dusk.  One  evening  I  saw 
several  feeding  among  the  tops  of  some  tall  birches,  to  the 
twigs  of  which  they  would  cling  for  an  instant  while  picking  off 
their  prey." 

'  Mam.  Ont.,  Proc.  Boat  Soc.  Nat.  Hist.,  April,  1897,  P-  39- 


'M 


LVI. 

Silvery-bat,  Silver-haired  Bat  or  Black-bat. 

Lasionycteris  noctivagans  (Le  Contc). 

{Lasionycleris,  from  Gr.  lasios,  hairy;  nycltros,  a  bat,  and  L.  noctivagans,  from  neetU, 

of  the  night;  vagans,  wandering.) 

Fespertilio  noctivagans  Le  Conte,  1831,  McMurtrie's  Cuvier, 

An.  King.,  I,  p.  431. 
Lasionycteris    noctivagans    Peters,    1865,    Monatsb.    Akad. 

Berlin,  p.  648. 

Type  Locality. — Eastern  United  States. 

French  Canadian,  la  Chauve-souris  argentee. 

\w  addition  to  the  Family  and  sub-family  chAractcrs,  the 
genus  Lasionycteris  (Peters,  i865)  has  short  broad  ears,  broad 
tragus,  and  partially  furred  tail-flap,  2  mammae,  and  teeth  as 
follows: 


SDEB 


T««    2~2  I-I  2-2  ,    7-2 

Inc. — ;  can. — •  n^tvi  .  ^«i  j  •>. 

3-5 


— ;  prem. ;  mol.  ^-^=26 

I-I      "  3-J  7-7      ^ 


z-z 


COLOUR 


The  present  species  is  the  only  member  of  the  genus. 

In  length  it  is  3I  to  4I  inches  (95  to  105  mm.);  forearm, 
about  if  inches  (42  mm.);  tibia,  about  f  of  an  inch  (16  mm.); 
tail,  about  equal  to  forearm;  spread,  about  ii\  inches  (292 
mm.).     For  head,  see  Fig.  264,  p.  1148. 

Fur,  very  dark  brown,  silver-tipped  with  white;  this  frost- 
ing confined  chiefly  to  the  back,  and  more  conspicuous  in  the 

1166 


Silvcry-bat 


1167 


young  than  in  the  adult.  I  have  in  my  collection  an  old 
female  (New  York  State)  without  any  silver  tipping — brownish- 
black  everywhere. 

Life-history. 


IN  MAN- 
ITOBA 


Fio.  165— Skull  of  SUrery-bU.  (Twice 
lifciiK.) 

From  Milleri  Rnisioa,  N.  A.  Vnp.  Ban. 
p.  Sj.  Fauna  13.  BioL  Sunr.  U.  S. 
D«pt.  Agr. 


This  and  certain  other  Bats  are  the  only  mammals  in  Amer-  range 
ica  that  range  from  the  Atlantic  to  Pacific  in  a  belt  i,ooo  miles 
wide,  without  splitting  up  into  several  races.     Obviously,  their 

wonderful  powers  of  flight  combine 
with  wandering  habits  to  keep  the 
population  thoroughly  mixed. 

All  of  Manitoba  falls  within  its 
breeding  range;  the  spots  on  the  map 
show  the  actual  records. 

"Like  many  other  Bats,  it  has  a  envi- 
decided  liking  for  water-ways,  coursing  ment 
up  and  down  streams  and  rivers,  and 
circling  around  lakes  and  ponds.  In 
some  places  its  habit  of  keeping  directly 
over  the  water  is  very  marked.  At 
Lyon's  Falls  [on  Black  River,  N.  Y.]  it  is  exceedingly  abun- 
dant, particularly  just  below  the  Falls.  I  have  stood,  gun  in 
hand,  on  a  point  on  the  east  bank  of  the  river,  and  have  seen 
hundreds  passing  and  repassing,  flying  over  the  water,  while 
during  the  entire  evening  not  more  than  two  or  three  strayed 
so  far  that  if  shot  they  would  fall  on  the  land."' 

Over  the  Red  River  where  it  runs  through  Winnipeg  City 
is  a  favourite  flying  place  for  this  Bat.  All  the  summer  long, 
in  the  evenings,  they  may  be  observed  hawking  for  their  prey  in 
this  inviting  open  place. 

At  Calgary,  I  was  told  by  G.  F.  Dippie,  it  is  abundant. 
In  the  vicinity  of  Toronto,  the  Don  Valley  and  the  Credit 
River  Valley  were  evidently  much  to  its  taste.    There  I  found 
the  species  in  swarms  during  the  August  twilight.     But  any 

■  Meniain,  Mam.  Adir.,  1884,  p.  188. 


^^ 


t  -i 


mi 


r 


MAP  65— RANGE  OF  THE  SILVER-HAIRED  BAT. 

Lashnyclerls  nodloagaiu  (Le  Conte). 


a^Ji^m^^Bm^^s^BiBK^im^&^^ris^- 


intlKbeh 
papers  oa 


1168 


Silvery-bat 


1169 


opening  near  the  woods  seemed  in  some  degree  an  acceptable 
huiiting  ground. 

Nothiiig  is  known  of  the  individual  range  of  any  of  the  iNDivm 
Bats,  but,  gifted  with  such  powers,  they  doubtless  emulate  ^oe 
those  birds  that  range  for  miles  to  seek  their  favourite  food. 
All  the  circumstances  of  their  environment,  habit?,  food,  and 
powers,  emphasize  their  analogy  to  the  swallows.  The  Bats 
are  the  swallows  of  the  night,  and  light  on  the  home-range  of 
the  swallows  will  be  side-light  on  the  home-range  of  the  Bats. 

Like  most  of  our  mammals,  they  are  subject  to  fluctua- 
tions of  their  numbers  in  periods  covering  several  years.  Thus 
the  Silvery-bat  was  common  at  Winnipeg  in  1905  and  1906, 
but  only  one  was  reported  all  through  the  season  of  1907. 
These  variations  of  the  population  are  wholly  uncomprehended; 
indeed,  the  first  step  towards  comprehension — exact  observa- 
tions on  their  time,  etc. — has  not  yet  been  taken. 

The  remarks  on  the  voice  of  the  Little  Brown-bat  apply  voice 
equally  to  this  one. 

All  of  our  Bats,  except  the  Hoary,  are  known  to  gather  oreoa- 
together  in  numbers  when  lured  by  some  especially  desirable  "°"* 
and  commodious  dormitory.     In  the  Seneca  Point  'battery,' 
described  later,  9,640  Bats,  by  actual  count,  were  killed,  be- 
sides nearly  2000  not  included,  before  the  colony  was  extirpated. 
It  is  probable  that  most  were  of  the  present  species. 

Thus,  while  highly  gregarious,  they  are  also  slightly  soci- 
able, since  they  profit  by  each  other's  company. 

The  rut  is  believed  to  be  in  late  August  or  early  September,  rut 
as  with  others  of  the  family,  but  there  are  several  unwritten 
chapters  in  this  department  of  the  vtspertilion  history,  and 
attempts  to  write  them  have  resulted  in  the  discovery  of  new 
mysteries  to  be  solved. 

The  male  takes  no  part  in  the  rearing  of  the  young;  in 
fact,  he  is  conspicuously  absent  at  all  times  when  the  female 


\i    i 


GESTA- 
TION 


1170        Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 

does  not  actively  interest  him.  Dr.  Merriam,  commenting  on 
this  remarkable  circumstance,  says:* 

"Out  of  85  adult  specimens  killed  in  Lewis  County  dt  ing 
the  past  summer  (1883)  there  was  but  a  single  male.  Two 
other  males  were  killed  in  the  early  autumn.  Of  32  young 
killed  during  the  same  period,  there  were  19  males  and  13 
females,  showing  that  the  disproportion  does  not  exist  at  birth. 
I  am  at  a  complete  loss  to  explain  this  enormous  preponderance 
of  females  among  the  adults.  At  first  I  was  inclined  to  think 
that  the  sexes  separated  during  the  period  of  bringing  forth  and 
caring  for  the  young,  but,  although  we  visited  a  number  of 
different  localities,  ve  were  never  able  to  find  the  males. 
Thinking  that  they  might  not  fly  until  early  morning,  I  several 
times  went  out  before  daylight,  but  females  only  were  killed." 

Since  it  is  desirable  to  offer  a  theory,  I  suggest  first,  that 
the  species  is  eminently  polygamous,  and  second,  that,  like 
Wapiti,  Mountain  Sheep,  pheasants,  and  sundry  other  polyg- 
amous species,  the  male  associates  with  the  female  only  during 
the  procreative  season,  passing  the  interval  in  distant  regions, 
usually  higher  and  further  north  or  otherwise  less  crowded  with 
their  own  kind,  as  well  as  freer  from  insect  plagues. 

The  great  apparent  increase  of  the  Bat  population  in  late 
August,  therefore,  is  a  real  increase  caused  by  the  arrival  of  the 
flocks  of  males. 

If  this  theory  is  sound,  we  should  discover  far  north,  or  up 
in  the  mountains,  great  numbers  of  males  that  are  there  all 
summer,  unassociated  with  females. 

Gestation  lasts  apparently  ten  months.  Young  are  usually 
;:  in  nurr  her,  but  sometimes  only  i .  In  the  Adirondack  region, 
according  to  Merriam,  they  are  born  during  the  first  week  of 
July. 

"  Females,"  h.:  says,' "  killed  during  the  latter  part  of  June, 
were  heavy  with  young,  but  up  to  July  i  not  one  had  given 
birth  to  its  offspring.  All  that  were  killed  after  July  4  had 
already  been  in  labour  and  w*jrc  then  suckling  their  young. 

•  Main.  Adir.,  1884,  p.  19a  •  Mam.  Adir.,  1884,  p.  190. 


Silvery-bat 


1171 


Of  3  females  shot  June  30,  1883,  one  conuined  but  a  single 
embryo,  and  the  others,  2  each.  All  were  nearly  ready  for 
extrusion,  and  would  doubtless  have  been  born  within  48 
hours." 

This  is  a  Bat  of  hollow  trees,  but  I  have  known  it  to  har- 
bour in  a  thicket  of  spruce  boughs  high  up  from  the  ground, 
as  well  as  in  the  lumber  piles  at  Winnipeg. 

The  mother  Bat  does  not  prepare  any  nest  for  the  yof  ig, 
but  avails  herself  of  such  ready-made  accommodations  as  she 
can  find. 

1  he  most  unexpected  lodging  of  the  species  and  nursery 
for  the  young  is  that  detailed  by  Dr.  Merriam,  as  follows:* 

"Frank  Hough  tells  me  that  when  looking  for  young  in 
crows  some  years  ago  in  the  deep  ravine  that  runs  through  the  ^P 
village  of  Lowville,  in  Lewis  County,  he  espied  a  crow's  nest 
in  a  large  and  densely  foliaged  hemlock.  On  climbing  the  tree, 
he  found  the  nest  to  be  an  old  one,  and  commenced  tearing  it  to 
pieces,  when,  to  his  astonishment,  he  discovered  13  young  Bats 
embedded  in  the  sticks  and  litter  of  which  it  was  composed. 
These  Bats  were  taken  home  and  shown  to  several  members 
of  the  family.  Their  eyes  were  not  yet  open.  They  were,  of 
course,  the  progeny  of  a  number  of  females,  and  presumably 
were  of  the  species  nov  under  consideration,  because  it  is  by 
far  the  most  common  in  the  region. 

"The  young  ♦  *  *  commence  to  fly  when  three  weeks  yocho 
old.  Those  killed  on  the  first  evening  of  their  appearance 
averaged  90  »im.  [3*  inches]  in  length  by  261  mm.  [loj  inches] 
in  stretch,  but  weighed  only  half  as  much  as  their  parents. 
The  adults  average  about  104  mm.  [4 J  inches]  in  length  by 
302  mm.  [11 J  inches]  in  stretch.  When  on  the  wing,  the 
young  may  be  distinguished  from  the  old  by  the  weakness 
and  hesitancy  of  their  flight,  rather  than  by  the  difference  in 
size.  The  young  are  much  more  beautiful  than  the  adults, 
and  they  alone  possess  the  perfect  silvery  tips  to  the  hairs 

•  Mam.  Adir.,  1884,  p.  190. 


1172        Lite-histories  of  Northern  Animals 


7  > 


HABITS 


from  which  the  species  derives  its  name.  Even  before  going 
into  winter  quarters  their  soft  silvery  backs  have  given  place 
to  the  grizzly  coats  that  characterize  the  adults." 

They  are  full  grown  by  September;  thus  their  very  long 
gestation  is  offset  somewhat  by  a  rapid  growth  to  adoles- 
cence. 

From  sunset  till  black  dark  is  the  evening  twilight,  ap- 
proximately equalled  by  the  corresponding  time  before  sunrise. 
The  duration  of  this  half-light  varies  of  course  with  each  day 
and  at  each  latitude.  In  illustration  Professor  F.  L.  Blake, 
of  Toronto  Observatory,  has  supplied  me  with  the  following 
table  of  evening  twilight  at  his  station.  Sunset  is  given  in 
standard  time,  75thmeridian.  Thetable  is  for  latitude  43°,  40' N. 


March  ist, 

Sun  sets 

6.05 

P.M. 

Twilight 

lasts  for  I  h.  39  m. 

April  1st 

(( 

(( 

6.44 

t< 

II 

II 

"  I  h.  44  m. 

May  1st, 

<i 

<« 

7.19 

t( 

CI 

14 

"   I  h.  56  m. 

June  1st, 

a 

« 

752 

t< 

«< 

II 

"  2  h.  24  m. 

July  I  St, 

t( 

«< 

8.03 

« 

l« 

« 

"  2  h.  30  m. 

August  1st, 

<( 

cc 

7-4' 

c< 

« 

II 

"  2  h.  06  m. 

September  xst. 

it 

<( 

6.55 

(( 

<« 

11 

"  ih.  48ni. 

October  ist. 

ti 

«( 

6.00 

<( 

II 

It 

"  I  h.  41  m. 

The  morning  period  is  of  about  the  same  duration.  These 
two  twilights  are  the  time  of  the  Bats,  and  all  the  evidence  we 
have  goes  to  prove  that  it  is  the  exception  when  they  are 
abroad  in  black  darkness. 

It  is  probable  that  each  species  is  adapted  to  a  certain 
measure  of  light,  and  those  that  come  out  early  do  not  stay  late. 

All  must  vary  their  habits  with  the  ever-varying  twilight, 
but,  broadly  speaking,  we  can  arrange  the  species  in  a  scale 
of  crepuscularity,  giving  each  an  hour  for  its  food-hunt  and 
leaving  out  the  Say  Bat,  as  not  reliably  observed.  It  is 
worthy  of  note  that  the  Bats  come  out  nearly  in  order  of  size, 
and  that  a  similar  scale  and  remark  will  probably  be  found  to 
fit  our  night-flying  insects. 


Silvery- bat 


1178 


Little  Brown-bat 


Red-bat 


Silyery-bat 


Big  Brown-bat 


7-30 


Hoary-bat 


d.30 


9-3° 


B.. «..  ,0.  '^«r4„-^-^Tj5'^2;C„^^.,^.^  , 


10 


There  ieems  little  doubt  that  each  of  our  Bats  gathers  all  mkau, 
Its  food  in  the  two  twilights,  retiring  between  times  to  its  lurk- 

2di?Wnreffect.'  '"'  ^"  "•^'^-    ^^""^^^  P-''^^'^  »^-  ^ 

n^r.^*'''  ^°!!°T«^r"'"''"«  '■'*'°'^'  *^y  M-  Figanierc,  ap-  HABm 
pearedm  Allen's  "Monograph.-  I.  is  not  by  any  means  ceV^ 

tarn  which  kmd  of  Bat  was  meant;  the  probabilities  are  that 
there  were  several  species,  with  the  present  one  predominant 
smce  he  twice  calls  them  very  small  and  very  black- 

In  die  winter  of  1859,  having  purchased  the  property 
known  as  Seneca  Point,  on  the  margin  of  the  North-east  River 

.>?„'  M  TT' '""  ^'"'  ^°""*y'  M^'  "^^  *°°k  possession  of 
t  in  May  of  the  next  year.  *  *  ♦  Having  been  uninhabited 
for  several  years,  ,t  exhibited  the  appearance,  with  the  excep- 
non  of  one  or  two  rooms,  of  desolation  and  neglect  ♦  ♦  ♦ 
The  weather  which  was  beautiful,  balmy  and  warm,  invited 
us  towards  evening  to  out-door  enjoyment  and  rest  after  a 

!niT"^K  ^^  °^  ''*^^'  *"^  ^"'^^  '*b°"^'  but  chairs,  settees, 
and  benches  were  scarcely  occupied  by  us  on  the  piazza  and 
lawn,  when,  to  our  amazement,  and  the  horror  of  the  female 
fml?  °"'  P"*y.  «."|a"  black  Bats  made  their  appearance  in 
immense  numbers,  flickering  around  the  premises,  rushing  in 
and  out  of  doors  and  through  open  windows. 

rn^ri*  *  *i  ^''^"•"8??«'"=v«"'ng  did  we  patiently,  though  not 
complacently,  watch  this  periodical  exodus  of  dusky  win^  into 

•  H.  Allen,  Monog.  Bati  N.  A..  1864,  pp.  xvii-xviii. 


HHilli 


1174       Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 


i%\ 


light  from  their  lurking  places.  *  *  *  Their  excursions  invaria* 
bly  commenced  with  the  cry  of  the  'whippoorwill,'  both  at 
coming  evening  and  at  early  dawn,  and  it  was  observed  that 
they  always  first  directed  their  flight  towards  the  river,  un- 
doubtedly to  damp  their  mouse-like  snouts,  but  not  their 
spirits,  for  it  was  likewise  observed  that  they  returned  to  play 
hide-and-seek  and  indulge  in  ail  other  imaginable  gambols, 
when,  after  gratifying  their  love  of  sport  and  satisfying  their 
EVTERMi- voracious  appetites  {as  the  absence  of  mosquitoes  and  gnats 
MosQui-  testified)*  they  would  re-enter  their  habitations,  again  to  emerge 
™^      at  the  first  signal  of  their  feathered  trumpeter.     I  thus  ascer- 
tained one  very  important  fact,  namely,  that  the  Bat,  or  the 
species  which  annoyed  us,  ate  and  drink  twice  in  twenty-four 
hours." 

So  far  as  known,  all  our  Bats  live  on  insect  food  captured 
and  eaten  while  the  Bat  is  on  the  wing,  but  the  insect  itself  may 
be  either  flying  or  perched  on  a  flower  or  leaf. 

Some  general  remarks  on  methods  of  capture  are  given  in 
the  chapter  on  M.  lucifugus,  but  are  equally  applicable  here. 

There  is,  however,  one  little  ceremony  with  which  it  pre- 
ludes every  meal;  and  th's  observation  applies  certainly  to 
Myotis  and  Lasionycteris,  and  probably  to  all  the  others.  On 
leaving  its  den  it  flies  first  and  straight  to  the  nearest  river  or 
pond  and  there  drinks  copiously  as  it  skims  over  the  surface. 
Merriam  says  of  this  species,  as  he  observed  it  in  the  Adiron- 
dacks :' 

"  In  the  early  dusk  the  Silver-haired  Bat  emerges  from  its 
hiding  place.  After  a  few  turns  about  the  immediate  neigh- 
bourhood it  generally  takes  a  pretty  direct  course  for  water. 
I  have  seen  it  start  from  the  summit  of  a  high  densely  wooded 
hill,  circle  around  for  a  few  minutes,  and  then,  keeping  far 
above  the  tree-tops,  sail  leisurely  towards  a  distant  river  till  lost 
from  sight  in  the  valley  below.  And,  standing  on  the  banks  of 
the  large  stream  that  winds  along  the  foot  of  this  hill,  I  have 
seen  the  Bats  flying  over  at  a  height  of  several  hundred  feet,  all 
moving  in  the  same  direction — towards  a  more  distant  river." 

"  Italics  mine.— E.  T.  S.  '  Mam.  Adir.,  1884,  p.  189. 


Silvery-bat 


1175 


A  past  master  in  the  air  and  fairly  active  on  tree  trunk  and  swim- 
groui  J,  the  Silvery-bat  rounds  out  its  accomplishments  by 
swimming  fairly  well.     Dr.  Merriam  speaks  of  shooting  some 
of  them  over  the  river  at  Lyon's  Falls,  N.  Y. : 

"  Several  that  were  wounded  and  fell  into  the  water*  [says 
he],  at  a  distaii.  ^  of  15  or  20  feet  from  the  bank,  swam  ashore. 
They  swam  powerfully  and  swiftly,  for  the  current  is  here  quite 
strong,  and  would  otherwise  have  carried  them  some  distance 
down  stream." 

This  remark  will  doubtless  be  found  applicable  to  all  our 
Bats,  as  their  European  relatives,  without  exception,  are  known 
to  be  strong  swimmer:  though  they  never  voluntarily  take  to 
the  water. 

There  is  no  doubt  a  host  of  creatures  that  would  destroy  enemies 
the  Bat  if  they  could  catch  it,  but  safe  in  its  cave  by  day  and 
safe  on  its  wings  by  night,  it  stands  in  awe  of  very  few.  A 
record  in  Fisher's  "Food  of  Hawks  and  Owls"  (p.  178)  shows 
that  the  winged  tiger  of  the  woods  does  indeed  prey  on  this 
Bat,  but  there  is  no  telling  how  it  secured  the  squeaker  of  the  horned 
lightning  wing.  It  may  have  been  an  accident  or  it  may  be 
there  is  a  weird  unwritten  chapter  of  owl  audacity  awaiting  the 
careful  student  of  birds. 

It  is  well  known  that  an  exceptionally  dull  day  or  afternoon  moon- 
will  temper  the  light  down  to  the  requisites  of  the  Bats,  and 
bring  many  forth  long  before  their  appointed  hour.  There 
is  every  reason  to  suppose  that  moonlight  may  similarly 
change  their  habits;  but  hitherto  we  have  no  observations  to 
prove  it. 


Beginning  at  the  vernal  equinox  and  continuing  all  sum- 
mer long,  the  Silvery-bats  go  skimming  over  the  broad  Red 
River  where  it  mirrors  the  tall  buildings  of  Winnipeg;  darting 
and  wheeling  like  swallows  of  the  gloom,  enlivening  bank  and 
sky,  and  retiring  between  times  to  the  shelter  of  the  lumber 

•Ibid.,  p.  188. 


DEPART- 
UKE 


1176        Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 


,H 


ROUTE 


piles,  that  rise  in  yellow  foursquare  towers  by  hundreds  on  the 
banks. 

But  again  a  change  comes  with  the  equinox.  Each  year, 
about  September  21,  the  flittering  host  of  eventide  is  gone — 
has  disappeared  as  mysteriously  as  it  came.  The  workmen  no 
longer  discover  them  crouching  during  the  day  beneath  the 
sheltering  boards.  They  have  totally  vanished,  and  all  the 
evidence  I  have  goes  to  show  that  this  disappearance  is  due  to 
migration. 

How  much  farther  south  do  they  go  ? 

Miller  says:*  "The  Silver-haired  Bat  occurred  in  spring 
and  fall  about  the  light-house  on  Mount  Desert  Rock,  30 
miles  off  the  coast  of  Maine,  a  treeless  islet  where  Bats  were 
at  other  times  unknown." 

He  states  also  that  though  the  species  was  unknown  in 
early  summer  at  Highland  Light,  Cape  Cod,  Mass.,  "the 
animals  *  *  *  suddenly  became  numerous  shortly  after  the 
middle  of  August,  and  remained  abundant  for  about  a  month, 
when  they  as  suddenly  disappeared." 

Thus  they  are  being  traced  on  their  route  and  marked 
down  in  their  seasonal  homes.  Before  long  the  fragmentary 
observations  of  many  naturalists  put  together  will  spell  the 
truth  and  show  us  that  the  Bats  are  as  migratory  as  the  birds, 
and,  though  long  despised,  may  be  also  as  interesting  and 
beautiful. 

•  N.  A.  Fauna,  No.  13,  1897,  P-  "• 


LVII. 

Big  Brown-bat,  House-bat,  Serotine  Bat  or 
Carolina  Bat. 

Eptesicus  fuscus  (Beauvois). 
(G.  Epien,  to  fly;  oikos,  house,  t.  e.,  house-flyer;  L.  fuscus,  brown.) 

Vespertila  fuscus  Beauvois,  1796,  Cat.  Peale's  Mus.,  Phila- 
delphia, p.  14. 

Eptesicus    fuscus    Mehely,    1900,    Monogr.    Chir.    Hung., 
p.  208. 

Type  Locality. — Philadelphia,  Pa. 

French  Canadian,  la  Chauve-souris  brunne. 

In  addition  to  the  Family  and  sub-family  characters,  the 
genus  Eptesicus  (Rafinesque,  1820)  has  2  mammae,  the  basal 
third  of  tail-web  hairy,  ears  medium  and  somewhat  pointed, 
and  teeth  thus: 


.      2-2  i-i  i-i         ,  3-3 

Inc.  — ;  can.  — ;  prem. ;  mol.  ^^J-^*"  22 

3-Z  I-I    ^         2-2  3-3    ^ 

The  size  of  E.  fuscus  is  distinctive  among  American  size 
species  of  the  genus.    Length,  4A  to  5  inches  (106  to  127 
mm.);  tail,  1}  to  2iV  inches  (38  to  52  mm.);  forearm,  if  to 
1 2  inches  (44  to  48  mm.);  tibia,  about  j  of  an  inch  (about  19 
mm.);  spread,  12  to  13  inches  (305  to  330  mm.). 

Weight  of  an  adult  male,  \  ounce.  weight 

In  colour  it  is  wood-brown  throughout,  paler  below;  fur  colouk 
never  silver  tipped.     (For  head,  see  Fig.  264,  p.  1148). 

1177 


-'"^'^^' 


I: 


Itit^ 


"  J. 

If 

m 

m 


DISTRI- 
BUTION 


BOME- 
RANGE 


ENVIRON 
MENT 


1178        Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 
The  following  races  are  recognized : 

fuscus  Beauvois,  the  typical  form. 
miradorensis  H.  Allen,  larger  and  darker. 
propinquus  Peters,  very  small,  colours  dark. 
bahamensis  Miller,  small  and  with  narrow  muzzle. 
cubensis  Gray,  larger,  resembling  miradorensis,  but 

ears  smaller  and  more  pointed. 
peninsula  Thomas,  small  and  pale. 
hernardinus  Rhoads,  like  fuscus,  but  paler. 
osceola  Bangs,  more  cinnamon;  otherwise  like /mjcuj. 
melanopterus  Rehn,  from  Mt.  Tallac;  has  blackish 

feet  and  wings. 

Life-history. 

This  Bat  is  one  of  the  widest  of  rangers,  and  although  it 
scarcely  enters  the  Canadian  zone,  it  more  than  makes  up  by 
spreading  far  into  Central  America  (Map  66).  It  is  included 
in  the  Manitoban  list  solely  on  the  strength  of  a  specimen 
secured  by  Kennicott  on  Lake  Winnipeg  (No.  6192,  U.  S.  N. 
M.,  alcoholic),  identified  by  H.  Allen  in  his  1893  Monograph^ 
p.  121.  My  own  acquaintance  with  it  was  made  at  Toronto 
and  New  York,  where  I  found  it  at  its  old  trick  of  entering 
the  house,  like  a  winged  burglar,  under  cover  of  night. 

Nothing  is  known  of  the  home  or  individual  range  of  this 
or  any  other  of  our  Bats. 

The  chosen  environment  of  the  species  differs  little  from 
that  of  its  congeners  of  the  smaller  kinds.  Open  ways  between 
trees  seem  especially  alluring.  In  primitive  times  this  confined 
them  largely  to  the  rivers  and  ponds,  but  now  the  clearances 
have  enlarged  their  opportunities,  and  every  meadow  and  field 
near  sheltering  groves  is  an  eligible  hunting-ground  for  the 
Big  Brown-bat. 

It  is  a  lower  flyer  than  the  Red-bat  or  the  Hoary,  and  has 
a  marked  preference  for  town  life. 


MAP  66— RANGE  OF  THE  BIO  BROWR-BAT. 
Efilalaufiaau  Beauvoif. 

1179 


^^^^ 


1180        Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 

Time  is  an  important  element  in  all  Bat  fly-ways,  and 
Dr.  A.  K.  Fisher's  observations  help  us  to  place  this  species  in 
the  nightly  time-table  of  the  oul-doors.  Excepting  that  the 
Hoary-bat  is  still  later  and  is  probably  not  reckoned  with  in  his 
observations,  mine  agree  with  those  of  Dr.  Fisher. 

Writing  of  the  Big  Brown-bats,  he  says:'  "They  are  the 
last  to  maive  their  appearance  in  the  evening.  In  fact,  when  it 
gets  so  dark  that  objects  are  blended  in  one  uncertain  mass,  and 
the  bat-hunter  finds  that  he  is  unable  to  shoot  with  any  pre- 
cision, the  Carolina  Bats  make  their  appearance  as  mere  dark 
shadows,  flitting  here  and  there,  while  busily  engaged  i- 
catching  insects.  We  have  to  make  a  snapshot  as  they  dodge 
in  and  out  from  behind  the  dark  tre&-tops,  and  are  left  in  doubt 
as  to  the  result  until  in  the  gloom  we  may  perchance  see  our 
little  '  black-and-tan,'  seemingly  as  interested  in  the  result  as 
we  are,  pointing  the  dead  animal." 


BREED- 
ING 


The  breeding  habits  of  this  Bat  are  unknown. 

Probably  they  rut  in  late  summer  and  produce  their  2 
young  in  late  sprir.g,  but  I  can  find  no  positive  evidence  of  it, 
which  is  the  more  remarkable  since  this  is  a  conspicuous  and 
abundant  species,  and  was  one  of  the  earliest  to  be  describ^'d. 


u  ^\ 


W- 


FOOD 
HABITS 


Their  food  no  doubt  differs  chiefly  in  quantity  from  that  of 
the  smaller  species.     Dr.  R.  W.  Shufeldt  says:' 

"They  drink  a  good  deal  and  have  simply  enormous  appe- 
tites. One  specimen,  in  the  course  of  a  single  night,  consumed 
21  full-grown  June-bugs  {Lachnosterna  fusca),  leaving  only  a 
few  legs  and  the  hard  outside  wing-sheaths." 


ENEMIES 


By  nature  of  their  retreats  and  their  wonderful  powers  of 
flight,  the  Bats  have  few  enemies  to  fear,  and  it  was  a  surprise 
to  me  when  I  read  in  Bailey's  "Biological  Survey  of  Texas"' 
that:  "At  Mr.  C.  O.  Finley's  ranch,  at  the  west  base  of  the 


■  Forest  and  Stream,  July  ai,  i88i,  p.  490. 

'  Chapters,  Nat  Hist.  United  States,  1897,  p.  440. 

'N.  A.  Fauna,  No.  25,  1905,  p.  an. 


Big  Brown-bat 


1181 


Davis  Mountains  [south-western  Texas],  I  found  two  lower 
jaws  of  this  Bat  among  numerous  other  bones  in  pellets  under 
the  nest  of  a  great  horned-owl." 

At  Chilliwack  Lake,  in  British  Columbia,  the  rainbow 
trout  are  of  great  size,  8  pounds  to  12  pounds,  and  these  giants 
were  often  seen  by  Professor  John  Macoun,  leaping  after  the 
Bats  that  skim  the  surface  of  the  lake  at  evenmg.  In  one  case 
he  thinks  he  saw  a  Bat  captured  by  the  trout,  and  is  satisfied 
that  the  *ish  would  not  jump  so  persistently  if  they  did  not  fre- 
quently succeed. 

The  following  interesting  remarks  on  its  habits  in  general  habits 
are  contributed  by  Rhoads:* 

"Among  American  Bats  this  species  may  be  said  to  corre- 
spond in  its  fondness  for  the  homes  of  man  to  the  Mouse  and 
Rat,  or  to  the  robin  and  the  wren  among  birds.     During  sum- 
mer, they  are  as  likely  to  hang  up  for  day-dreams  behind  an 
unused  shutter  or  door,  or  a  crack  in  the  wall,  or  a  shady  porch 
or  out-house,  as  anywhere  else.   At  night,  they  incessantly  circle 
about  the  house  and  lawn  and  street  lamps  until  some  fleeing 
insect  suddenly  leads  one  into  the  kitchen  or  the  bedchamber, 
and,    10  to   I,  a  panic  ensues,  resulting  in  no  small  noise, 
destruction  of  furniture,  and  the  miserable  death  of  the  innocent, 
harmless,  and  useful  Bat.    Such  an  occurrence  as  this,  related 
by  Audubon,  happened  in  his  Kentucky  home  in  181 8,  in  the 
bedroom  orcupied  by  the  traveller  Rafinesque.     It  resulted  in 
the  destruction  of  a  favourite  violin,  etc.  [which  the  guest  used 
as  a  bat-club],  and,  so  far  as  we  are  able  to  follow  the  sequel,  in 
the  immortality  of  the  Bat  as '  Eptesicus  melanops  Raf.',  which, 
being  interpreted,  is  no  less  than  a  synonym  of  Eptesicus  fuscus 
(Beauvois),  the  subject  of  this  article.    It  is  interesting  to  note 
that  Rafinesque,  in  describing  the  genus  Eptesicus,  says:  'The 
name  means  house-flyer';  and  of  the  species  melanops  he  says: 
'  It  comes  often  in  the  house  at  night';  recording  in  this  way  the 
indelible  impressions  of  his  midnight  battle  two  years  before. 
This  Bat  is  accused  of  bringing  bed-bugs  and  other  insect 

*  Mam.  Penn.,  1903,  p.  an. 


118«        Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 


vermin  into  houses.     I  have  never  found  any  vermin  on  them 
except  lice  of  a  species  not  parasitic  on  man." 

In  the  Museum  of  the  Geological  Survey  at  Ottawa  is  a 
specimen  found  dormant  behind  a  window  of  the  building  on 
December  3,  1894.  This  is  the  more  interesting  because  it  is 
nearly  the  north-most  record  and  the  species  is  supposed  to  be 
migratory. 


■  .■'' 
fei: 

f 

1 


^^i^^iil^- 


LVIII. 

Northern  Red-bat  or  Tree-bat. 

Lasiurus  bonalis  (M'uller). 
(Gr.  lasios,  hairy;  oura,  ts^il;   L.  bortalis,  of  the  North.) 

Vespertilio  borealis  MuLLER,  1776,  Natur.  Syst.,  Suppl.,  p.  21. 

Lasiurus  borealis  MiLLER,  1 897,  N.  Am.  Fauna,  No.  13,  p.  105. 

Type  Locality. — New  \  ork. 

French  Canadian,  la  Chauve-souris  rouge. 

In  addition  to  the  Family  and  sub-family  characters,  the 
genus  Lasiurus  (Gray,  1 831)  has  the  tail  densely  hairy  above, 
continuous  with  the  back  furring;  the  ear  broad,  low,  and 
round-topped;    mammx,  4;    teeth: 


Inc. 


i-i  i-i  2-2         ,  3-3 

— ;  can. ;  prem. ;  mol.  =^-=^-32 

3-3  I-I  2-2  3-3 


Total  length,  4  to  4!  inches  (102  to  1 1 1  mm.);  tail,  about  size 
2  inches  (about  51  mm.);  forearm,  1}  to  if  inches  (38  to  41 
mm.);  tibia,  about  j  inch  (about  19  mm.);  spread,  about  12 
inches  (305  mm.). 

In  size  it  is  much  liki  the  Silver-haired  Bat  (see  Fig. 
264). 

The  colour  of  the  Red-bat  is  usually  described  as  a  bright  colour 
rufous  or  dull  orange.    This,  however,  conveys  no  idea  of  the 
exquisite  tints  that  go  to  make  up  the  general  tone  of  red.    The 
Manitoba  specimen  before  me  is,  first,  all  over  of  a  delicate,  pale 

1183 


m 


1184 


Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 


t 


RANGE 


Sienna,  but  on  the  upper  part  and  across  the  breast  each  hair 
has  a  dark  orange-brown  or  sienna  outer  part  that  gives  the 
general  colour,  with  the  pslc  under-fur  showing  through  at 
places;  finally,  each  hair  o.  nc  fore-back  and  across  the  chest 
has  a  silvery-white  tip;  on  the  shoulder  in  front  of  their  wings 
these  are  so  large  as  to  form  a  white  spot  on  each  side.  In 
certain  lights  the  back  fur  has  the  effect  of  rich  golden-brown 
glossed  with  purple.  Individuals  vary  from  yellow  to  deep 
red,  but  the  style  is  unmistakable;  by  its  colour  alone  the  Red- 
bat  may  be  known. 

In  the  air,  its  long,  thin  wings  distinguish  it  from  all  but 
the  Hoary-bat;  the  probabilities  of  time  and  place,  as  well  as 
their  sizes,  will  help  in  discriminating  these  two. 

The  following  races  are  recognized: 

borealis  Miiller,  the  typical  form, 

semimlus  Rhoads,  darker  (mahogany  brown). 

pfeifferi  Gundlach,  larger  and  deeper  coloured  than 

borealis. 
teliotis  H.  Allen,  smaller  and  deeper  coloured  than 

borealis,  with  tail-web  furred  only  on  basal  third. 
mexicanus  Saussure,  like  teliotis,  but  membranes  and 

feet  less  hairy. 

Life-history. 

Its  range  covers  the  continent  from  the  southern  edge  of 
the  Hudsonian  to  the  northern  edge  of  the  Tropical  fauna 
east  of  the  Great  Plains,  as  set  forth  on  Map  No.  67,  and  yet 
farther  into  Central  or  South  America.     Its  claim  to  be  in 
the  Manitoban  list  rests  on  3  specimens,  i  I  received  from 
Morden,  where   it  was  captured   by   D.  Nicholson,  and  2 
taken  at  Winnipeg  and  shown  tu  me  by  Edward  Wilson 
Another  was   taken  '      Edwin  Mollis   at   Touchwood  Hills, 
September  16,  1901;   ..  was  a  female.     G.  F.  Dippie  assures 
me  that  he  has  taken  it  several  times  at  Calgary,  Alta. 


MAP  67-RAHGE  OF  THE  RED-BAT  AHD  ITS  I'lVE  RACES. 

Laslunu  iorealb  (MiiUer). 

-iU,  ouJ?b,"v-.' b2i*,"&  'n'  RhS";  O.  fl^td llVse'tS^""*'  "^'^  '^'^'  '""  °-  ^  "'"'^'  R'™'^  ""^  «.  All™',  Monor.p)v 

1185 


m 


il'  » 


1186        Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 

^mRON.  The  Red-bat  is,  above  all  its  kin  in  our  country,  a  tree  Bat, 
never  frequenting  caves.  Every  specimen  that  I  have  seen, 
and  all  I  have  knowledge  of,  were  fo'nd  hanging  from  a  branch 
in  the  woods,  generally  a  very  lo  me,  and  looking  like  a 
rumpled  leaf  that  is  prematurel}  .ead  b  ♦  not  yet  fallen. 
Merriam  speaks'  of  finding  them  "asleep  i  the  daytime, 
hanging  by  their  thumb-nails  to  small  twigs  or  leaf  stems 
within  easy  reach."  If  disturbed  on  such  occasions,  they  flit 
away  to  some  other  lowly  place,  apparently  not  at  all  incom- 
moded by  the  brightness  of  the  daylight. 

C.  W.  Nash  tells  me  that  in  Manitoba  he  has  seen  them 
coming  out  of  burrows  in  the  moss. 


SOCIA- 
BILITY 


MATING 


This  Bat,  like  its  relative,  the  Great  Hoary-bat,  seems  to 
be  far  from  gregarious,  in  fact  almost  a  solitary  species,  or 
seen  only  in  pairs. 

It  is  not  known  whether  our  Bats  are  polygamous,  poly- 
androus,  or  promiscuous.  Rhoads  speaks  of  finding  this  kind 
in  pairs,'  which  is  a  mite  of  proof  that  the  species  has  pro- 
gressed. The  only  recorded  observation  on  their  mating  is 
the  following  by  Dr.  J.  A.  Allsn.-* 

"  Very  little  seems  to  be  known  respecting  the  time  of  copu- 
lation or  the  period  of  gestation  of  the  Bats.  From  Mr.  J.  G. 
Shute,  of  Woburn  (Mass.),  I  learn  a  fact  in  reference  to  this 
point  observed  by  him  some  few  years  since.  Soon  after  sun- 
set, one  evening  in  October,  he  observed  a  strange  object  pass 
him  in  the  air,  which  seemed  to  fall  to  the  ground  not  far  from 
where  he  was  standing.  Repairing  immediately  to  the  spot, 
he  soon  found  it,  which  proved  to  be  a  pair  of  these  T  ats  in 
coitu.  They  were  captured  and  thrown  into  alcohol,  and  thus 
forwarded  to  the  Museum  of  Comparative  Zoology." 

Miller  mentions'  that  this  Bat  breeds  at  Brownsville,  Tex., 
so  that  it  may  breed  in  all  of  its  range  north  of  that  point. 

'  Mam.  Adir,  1884,  p.  18a.  •  Man>.  Penn.,  1003,  p.  aii 

•  Bull.  Mus.  Comp.  Z06I.,  Vol.  I,  No.  8,  1869,  P-  ao8. 
•N.  A.  Fauna,  No.  13, 1897,  p.  108. 


Northern  Red-bat 


1187 


As  the  young  are  found  of  tender  age  early  in  June  oesta- 
and  late  in  May,  it  is  probable  that  the  gestation  lasts  for  8 
months. 


Although  but   I   young   one    has  been  found  with  the  vonNc 
mother  in  most  cases  observed,  M.  W.  Lyon,  Jr.,  calls  attention' 
to  the  fact  that  this  Bat  has  4  mammx,  and  that  4  unborn 
young  have  been  taken  from  an  adult  female  of  L.  borealis 
salinte. 

He  says:  "While  the  rule  for  most  Bats  is  i,  or  some- 
times 2,  offspring  at  parturition,  yet  a  careful  examination 
of  material  and  U\t  literature  shows  the  number  of  young  pro- 
duced at  a  time  by  members  of  the  genus  Lasiurus,  and  probably 
Dasypterus,  is  usually  double  that  number.  This  might  safely 
be  inferred  from  the  fact  that  4  mammae  are  found  in  Bats 
of  this  group,  as  has  been  noted  by  several  writers.  In  all 
other  Bats,  so  far  as  the  writer  is  aware,  there  are  2  mammae, 
each  of  which  is  placed  near  the  middle  of  the  outer  border  of 
the  pectoral  muscle.  In  the  Lasiurine  Bats,  in  addition  to 
these  2,  there  is  a  second  pair,  located  more  posteriorly,  each 
mamma  of  which  is  nearer  the  back  and  pretty  well  up  under 
the  wing. 

"As  to  the  number  of  young  in  Lasiurus,  Professor  Wilder 
found  3  embryos  in  each  of  2  specimens  of  L.  borealis  from 

Massachusetts. 

♦  ♦**♦♦* 

"A  specimen  of  L.  borealis  from  Illinois  (No.  14,273), 
preserved  in  alcohol,  contains  2  fetuses. 

"The  most  interesting  specimens  in  this  connection  are 
Nos.  114,044  to  114,048,  an  adult  female  nursing  4  young, 
brought  into  the  National  Museum  alive  by  Mr.  J.  C.  Lawson, 
of  Washington,  D.  C,  on  June  18,  1902.  *  *  ♦  A  young  one 
was  at  each  of  the  adult's  nipples,  where  it  held  on  with  great 
tenacity,  having  in  its  mouth  a  good  deal  of  its  mother's  hair, 
into  which  hs  hooked  milk  teeth  firmly  caught.  As  Dobson 
has  suggested,  it  is  probably  for  the  purpose  of  holding  securely 

•  Proc.  United  SUUs  Nat.  Mu*.,  Vol.  XXVI,  pp.  4as-6, 1903. 


S' 


1188         Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 

to  their  mothers  that  the  milk  teeth  of  Bats  differ  in  form 
from  those  of  other  mammals. 


M 


s . 


tK 
[-i'f       I 


HABITS 


"The  young  ones  were  less  than  a  third  grown  as  to  weight, 
and  about  half  grown  as  to  linear  measurements.  The  com- 
bined weights  of  the  four  young  amounted  to  12.7  grammes, 
while  the  mother  weighed  but  1 1  grammes." 

Three  of  the  young  were  females,  i  a  male. 

Titian  Peaie,  of  Philadelphia,  is  responsible  for  the  fol- 
lowing interesting  story  of  maternal  instinct  in  a  Red-bat:* 

"In  June,  1823,  the  son  of  Mr.  Gillespie,  keeper  of  the 
city  square,  caught  a  young  Red-bat  (Fespertilio  novehoracen- 
sis  L.),  which  he  took  home  with  him.  Three  hours  afterwards, 
in  the  evening,  as  he  was  conveying  it  to  the  Museum  in  his 
hand,  while  passing  near  the  place  where  it  was  caught,  the 
mother  made  her  appearance,  followed  the  boy  for  two 
squares,  flying  around  him,  and  finally  alighting  on  his  breast, 
such  was  her  anxiety  to  save  her  offspring.  Both  were  brought 
to  the  Museum,  the  young  one  firmly  adhering  to  its  mother's 
teat.  This  faithful  creature  lived  two  days  in  the  Museum, 
and  then  died  of  injuries  received  from  her  captor.  The 
young  one,  being  but  half  grown,  was  still  too  young  to  take 
care  of  itself,  and  died  shortly  after." 

"The  young  of  this  species  continue  to  nurse  till  at  least 
a  month  old.  I  shot  a  female  on  the  31st  of  July  (1883)  whose 
udders  still  contained  milk,  and  whose  long  nipples  were  much 
drawn  out.  A  week  later  (August  7)  I  killed  a  full-grown 
young  flying  over  the  same  meadow."" 

From  the  above  I  should  rather  infer  that  the  young  nurse 
till  about  two  months  old,  or  even  more. 

"The  Red-bat  [says  Merriam]*  generally  makes  its  ap- 
pearance earlier  in  the  evening  than  the  other  species,  evidently 
fancying  the  dusk  of  twili^jht  more  than  the  increased  darkness 
of  advancing  night,  and  I  have  killed  it  even  on  a  cloudy  after- 

•  Godman's  Am.  Nat.  Hist.,  i8a6,  Vol.  I.,  pp.  56-7. 

'  Merriam,  Mam.  Adir.,  1884,  p.  184.  *  Ibid.,  pp.  181-3. 


ill 


1:  ? 


Northern  Red-bat  1189 

noon  while  flying  to  and  fro  in  pursuit  of  insects  near  the  bor- 
der of  a  hardwood  grove." 

Whether  it  has  a  morning  meal-hour  as  well  is  not  ascer- 
tamed. 

Many  observers  comment  on  the  readiness  of  this  Bat  to 
enter  the  house  at  night  and  pursue  the  insects  that  are  at- 

n7.'l!  TT  I'i'c"^""*'''-  ^^''°^  ^y*'  '^^'  •"  ">««  portions 
of  the  United  States  it  would  be  safe  to  say  that,  in  any  given 

mstance  of  a  Bat  entering  our  rooms  in  the  evening,  the  chances 
are  a  hundred  to  one  of  its  being  either  the  Red-bat  or  the 
Little  Brown-bat. 

Dr.  Hornaday  after  crediting  this  species  with  unusual 
cleverness,  adds"*  that  the  only  mistake  it  makes  "is  in  fly- 
ing  into  houses  through  open  windows,  and  instantly  forgetting 
the  location  of  the  means  of  escape.  Once  in  a  room,  the  Bat 
fl.es  slowly,  and  frequently  is  so  bewi)  >red  by  the  sudden 
change  from  semi-darkness  to  light,  that  li  strikes  a  wall  and 
falls  to  the  floor. 

tr..  ^  V"'?"*^  \'  ^«  ^'a/*  seen,  the  Bat  invariably  roosts  in  a  -i- 
tree.     In  Manitoba,  at  least,  it  certainly  does  not  do  so  in  ""^ 
winter.    In  summer  it  is  solitary  and  not  known  to  frequent 
caves.     In  winter  it  is  known  to  gather  in  vast  numbers  in  the 
raves  of  Its  more  southerly  range.    As  far  as  these  facts  go 
they  point  to  a  migration  from  the  nonhem  part  of  its  rang^ 
and  a  hibernation  m  the  southern  part,  a  complete  change  S 
behaviour  m  each  case  accompanying  the  change  of  lif?. 
Bat  Hf.    If  *^?*T  f^^'^  ^«^«  «'=<='"«  an  important  rule  in 
TJr^l-  i\  ^T"'  ^^'  '"PP"^*^  so'"^  remarkable 

tr^T"  u- 1'  ^*^d,^""«g  »he  migration.  Writing  from 
the  Hudson  Highlands  of  New  York,  where  this  Bat  is  very 
abundant  in  summer,  he  says:" 

Nov1^k"""tV^*  '*""  P*"  °^  ^""^^'^^  ^"d  *«=  fi"t  week  of 
November  I  have  seen  great  flights  of  them  during  the  whole 

day.    In  1876, 1  noted  that  all  of  the  individuals  shot  from  any 

"^nilZZV^"^\^'^'^''^^^'^'^         "A™  Nat.  HBt.,  1904.  p  6s 
Vert.  Faun.  Hud«)n  H^hUnds,  BuU.  Am.  Mus.  Nat.  Hirt..  ,898,  VoTx,  p.  I4S. 


[ii! 


1 


y  ' 


H 


1190        Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 

single  flock  were  of  the  same  sex,  though  another  flock  might 
yield  all  of  the  opposite  sex.  One  year  specimens  are  recorded 
on  four  days,  on  two  days  only  males,  and  on  two  only  females. 
So  far  as  they  go,  these  observations  suggest  that  the  sexes 
perhaps  separate  during  autumnal  flights,  as  birds  commonly 

do." 

Following  along  their  route  further  south,  we  come  into 
the  observational  region  of  another  good  naturalist,  S.  N. 
Rhoads,  who  writes:" 

"  I  have  observed  this  species  returning  from  apparently 
extensive  flights  over  the  ocean  on  the  New  Jersey  coast  in  the 
early  morning  before  sunrise.  On  one  or  two  occasions  in 
September  single  individuals  have  been  observed  flying  directly 
towards  the  shore,  so  exhausted  as  to  make  little  progress 
against  a  land  breeze,  and  alighting  on  the  nearest  object  as 
soon  as  land  was  reached.  It  is  possible  that  these  had  been 
blown  to  sea  during  their  migrations  along  the  coast." 

A  gale  so  trying  to  the  Red-bat  must  have  been  disastrous 
to  the  birds.  For  this  is  one  of  the  swiftest  and  strongest  fliers 
of  its  tribe.  Oftentimes  in  the  evening  one  has  the  chance  to 
compare  the  flight  of  the  Little  Brown-bat  with  that  of  the 
chimney-swift,  and  never  does  one  incline  to  give  inferior 
rank  to  the  Bat.  But  the  Red-bat  is  superior  to  its  twilight 
brother  as  a  flier;  not  only  is  it  swift  as  the  swift  itself,  but  it  can 
turn  and  twist  and  dash  within  a  hair-breadth  of  destruction, 
or  through  a  hole  that  is  not  half  its  wing-extent,  and  perform 
a  hundred  feats  of  power  that  are  far  beyond  any  but  birds 
of  the  longest  and  strongest  wings. 

It  has,  indeed,  achieved  a  consummate  mastery  of  the 
realms  of  air,  a  conquest  at  leas'  as  complete  as  that  attained 
by  swallow,  swift,  or  hawk,  a  fact  that  should  have  its  meed 
of  comfort  for  those  hopeful  human  aeronauts  who  have  long 
been  told  in  scorn  that  feathers  are  the  only  means  to  perfect 
flight. 

"  Mam.  Penn.,  1903,  p.  213. 


J' 


LIX. 
The  Hoary-bat  or  Great  Northern  Bat. 

Lasturus  cinereus  (Beauvois). 
(L.  ctntreus,  dndeiy  or  ash-coloured.) 

Vespertilio  cinereus  Beauvois,  1796,  Cat.  Pcalc's  Mus.,  Phila., 

P-  15- 
Lasturus  cinereus  H.  Allen,  1864,  Monog.  Bats  N.  A.,  p.  21. 
Type  Locality.— Philadelphia,  Pa. 

French  Canadian,  la  Chauve-souris  grisonnee  ou 
grise. 

In  addition  to  the  generic  characters  given  in  the  preceding 
article,  this  Bat  has  very  obvious  and  specific  features  that 
make  it  easy  to  identify. 

In  size  it  exceeds  all  others  in  our  list.    Total  length,  5  to  size 
5§  inches  (127  to  140  mm.);  tail,  2  to  2f  inches  (51  to 60  mm.); 
forearm,  i|  to  2J  inches  (45  to  57  mm.);  tibia,  {  to  i  inch  (22  *o 
25  mm.);  spread,  15  to  17  inches  (381  to  432  mm.). 

In  style  of  colour  it  approaches  the  Red-bat.  The  fur  colook 
next  the  body  is  dull  blackish,  but  this  does  not  ordinarily 
show;  the  general  under-colour  visible  is  a  soft  sienna  or  orange 
buff,  much  grayer  on  breast  and  belly;  but  on  the  chest  and 
upper  parts  each  hair  has  a  dark-brown  zone,  and,  finally,  a 
silvery-white  tip;  the  general  effect  is  rich,  deep  brown,  exqui- 
sitely frosted  over  with  white;  the  chin  is  clear  pale  brown  or 
yellow;  the  ears  have  black  rims,  and  the  muzzle  is  more  or  less 
black. 

When  in  air,  this  species  "^ay  be  distinguished  from  all  by 
its  long,  pointed  wings,  great  size,  and  swift  zigzag  flight, 

1101 


1192        Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 


Life-history. 


Disnu- 

BUTION 


1! 


s 


I 


1^ 
1    : 


Map  No.  68  shows  that  this  fine  Bat  ranges  over  nearly 
all  the  continent,  breeding  in  the  northern  and  wintering 
in  the  southern  half.  I  have  seen  about  a  dozen  specimens 
in  Manitoba;  these  were  taken  at  Carberry,  Sourismouth, 
Morden,  and  Winnipeg.     Edwin  HoUis  captured  a  female  at 


Fic.  a66 — Left  side  teeth  of  HoAry-bat;   two  viewi  of  each  row. 

(Five  tiinei  life  liv.)    ThoK  to  the  left  are  the  upper;  to  the 

right  the  lower. 
From  Miller's  ReTition.  N.  A.  Fauna  No.  13,  p.  114.    Biclogical  Surr.,  U.  S. 
Dcpt.  Agr. 

Touchwood  Hills,  September  ii,  1901.'  G.  F.  Dippie  reports 
it  at  Calgary,  and  on  July  13,  1907,  E.  A.  Preble  saw  one  at 
Fort  Resolution. 


INDIVID 
UAL 


Nothing  is  known  of  the  extent  to  which  the  individual 
KANGE     will  roam,  but  there  is  no  reason  why  it  should  not  cover  as 
much  ground  as  a  small  falcon,  if  its  necessities  should  de- 
mand it. 


ENVIRON- 
MENT 


All  the  Hoary-bats  I  have  met  were  in  half-open  country, 
where  both  woods  and  water  abounded.  I  see  nothing  peculiar 
in  this,  and  yet  its  chosen  surroundings  differ  somewhat  from 
those  of  its  congeners.  I  am  not  aware  that  any  of  our  Bats 
habitually  hunt  in  the  thick  woods;  they  can  find  a  better, 
easier  prey  in  the  near-by  openings.  Some  of  the  small  species 
are  content  with  the  small  openings  and  small  prey  near  the 
ground;  but  the  Great  Hoary-bat  soars  high.  Its  proper 
place,  as  I  understand  it,  is  far  above  the  tree-tops  of  the  forest, 

*  Z06I.,  Aug.  15, 1903,  p.  397,  and  subsequent  personal  letter. 


MAP  68— RAH6B  OF  THB  HOART-BAT. 

Latiunu  ctnema  (BeaUTOu). 


™u%SS?fS?^^^-"^^--'^*"-o^^^^^^ 


1193 


;| 


1194        Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 

where  fly  the  great,  fat  luna  moths  and  the  cecropias,  with 
others  half  as  big  as  itself  and  worthy  of  its  powers,  in  one 
other  respect  it  ha  a  proper  sphere — it  appears  later  at  night 
(or  earlier  in  the  dawn)  than  any  others  of  the  tribe  on  our  list. 

In  the  Silvery-bat  chapter  we  have  noticed  the  nightly 
order  of  appearance  that  is,  in  a  general  way,  observed  by  the 
Bats,  and  the  present  handsome  creature,  as  befits  its  impor- 
tance, is  the  last  to  appear. 

Dr.  Merriam's  observations  on  this  point,  made  in  Lewis 
County,  N.  Y.,  are  very  complete,  as  well  as  the  only  r  les 
available. 

"The  hour,"  says  he,'  "at  which  Bats  leave  their  retf  ts 
to  begin  their  nocturnal  excursion  is  governed,  first,  by  uie 
latitude,  longitude,  and  altitude  of  the  locality,  and  the  time  of 
the  year;  and,  second,  by  the  character  of  the  sky  (whether 
clear  or  overcast)  and  the  exposure — those  living  along  the 
southern  and  eastern  borders  of  woodlands  and  in  dark  ravines 
appearing  earlier  than  those  whose  hiding  places  face  the  setting 
sun.  In  other  words,  the  time  at  which  Bats  appear  depends 
solely  upon  the  degree  of  darkness* 

"Hence  it  follows  that  their  nightly  exodus,  in  a  given 
locality,  does  not  take  place  in  a  fixed  period  after  the  disap- 
pearance of  the  sun,  for,  during  the  first  part  of  October,  in 
this  latitude,  the  darkness  is  as  great  half  an  hour  after  sunset 
as  it  is  an  hour  after,  three  months  earlier.  Therefore,  in  esti- 
mating the  exact  hour  at  which  Bats  are  to  be  expected  at  any 
stated  date,  it  is  necessary  not  only  to  consider  the  time  the  sun 
sets,  but  also  to  take  into  account  the  duration  of  the  twilight. 
Moreover,  in  the  same  locality,  the  several  species  do  not  com- 
mence to  fly  at  the  same  hour,  for  each  seems  to  await  a  par- 
ticular and  different  degree  of  darkness.  The  Hoary-bat  is  one 
of  the  last  to  appear,  and  for  this  reason  its  capture  is  the  most 
difficult.  In  Lewis  County,  during  the  latter  part  of  June,  it 
does  not  start  out  (excepting  in  deep  forests  and  dark  valleys) 
till  about  8.45  P.  M.,  or  a  full  hour  after  sunset,  while  in  the 
early  part  of  October  I  have  killed  it  at  6  p.  m.,  or  just  half  an 

•  Mam.  Adir.,  1884,  pp.  180-x.  '  Italics  mine.— E.  T.  S. 


wmm 


Hoary-bat 


1195 


hour  after  sundown.    The  following  table  is  calculated  to 
illustrate  the  above  remarks: 

Tnaa  or  Evzkiho  Appeakanczs  of  'Atauusa  onima'  {Hoabybat]  ai  Locvst 
GxovE,  N.  Y.,  AT  DinrEXKNT  Dates  im  1883. 

TIME  APTBR  sunset 

63  minutes 
5>       " 


date 
June  30 
July  9 
July  31 
Aug.  3 
Aug.  21 
0«.     8 


SUNSET 

7.42  o'clock 

7-38  " 

7.21  " 

7.17  " 

6.52  " 

530  " 


FIRST  BAT  SEEN 

8.45  o'clock 

8.30 
8.10 

8.00 

7-3° 
6.00 


49 
43 
38 
30 


In  Manitoba  the  den  or  lurking  place  of  this  species  is  ld«. 
among  the  thickest  boughs  of  a  spruce  top.     Whether  it  {^ce 
ever  frequents  caves  or  hollow  trees  when  available  I  can- 
not say. 

A  specimen  which  I  took  near  Carberry,  August  21, 1883,  voice 
bit  viciously  and  screamed  aloud,  in  the  style  of  the  Little 
Brown-bats,  but  in  deeper,  stronger  tones. 

I  cannot  learn  that  any  one  ever  saw  a  great  number  of  unsoo. 
these  Bats  in  one  lurking  place.  The  smaller  species  may  gather  *"" 
in  crowds  at  a  convenient  shelter  nook,  yet  this,  the  king  of  the 
northern  kinds,  is,  so  far  as  known,  solitary  at  all  times  save 
the  breeding  season. 


Concerning  its  mating  in  the  Adirondack  region,  Dr. 
Merriam  says  :*  "  That  the  species  ruts  about  the  i  st  of  August 
there  can  be  no  reasonable  doubt,  for  I  saw  more  of  them  from 
the  30th  of  July  till  the  6th  of  August  [1883]  than  I  have  seen  in 
all  before  and  since,  and  12  adult  specimens  killed  during 
that  brief  period  were  all  males.  They  were  not  feeding,  but 
were  rushing  wildly  about,  evidently  in  search  of  the  females. 
Many  flew  so  high  as  to  be  entirely  out  of  range,  though  directly 
overhead." 

*Mam.  Adir.,  1884,  p.  179. 


ROT 


1196        Life-hi8torie8  of  Northern  Animals 


*■■ 


^  1 

I 


GESTA- 
TION 

YOUNG 


MIGRA- 
TION 


The  gestation  is,  as  usual,  prolonged,  being  9}  or  10 
months. 

As  in  the  case  of  the  Red-bat,  4  appear  to  be  the  normal 
number  of  young  at  birth,  though  experience  would  lead  us  to 
look  for  a  lower  average  in  the  nursery.  In  the  collection  of 
the  Manitoba  Natural  History  Society  is  a  female  with  2  young 
at  her  breast. 

J.  S.  Charleson,  of  MacDonald,  Man.,  tells  me  that  at 
Sourismouth  he  found  a  female  hanging  in  a  tree  with  4  young 
clinging  to  her  breast;  they  were  so  tightly  fast  to  her  teats 
that  they  could  not  be  removed. 

They  are  bom,  apparently,  in  the  last  week  of  May. 
Merriam  records'  that:  "On  the  evening  of  the  30th  of  June 
last  (1883)  Dr.  A.  K.  Fisher  shot  a  large  female,  measuring 
422  mm.  (i6|  inches),  at  my  home  in  Lewis  County.  It  had 
already  given  birth  to  its  young,  and  each  of  its  4  mammx 
bore  evidence  of  having  recently  been  nursed." 

These  might  have  been  bom  in  June,  but  the  analogy  of 
the  closely  related  Red-bat  weighs  in  favour  of  a  date  at  least 
a  week  earlier  than  June  I.  This  would  fit  in  nicely  with 
another  record  by  Merriam: 

"The  only  young  I  have  ever  seen  [he  says]*  was  shot  here 
August  6,  1883,  by  Walter  H.  Merriam.  It  was  nearly  full 
grown,  measuring  400  mm.  (15I  inches)  in  extent,  and  differed 
from  the  adults  chiefly  in  being  a  little  lighter  coloured." 

Like  all  northern  species  of  the  Family,  this  Bat  is  migra- 
tory. Not  a  surprising  fact  when  one  remembers  that  it  hates 
the  cold  as  much  as  swallows  do,  and  is  at  least  as  well  equipped 
to  seek  more  genial  climes  when  frosty  nights  come  on  to  nip 
its  tender  wings,  rob  the  forests  of  its  food,  and  turn  its 
favourite  forage  ground  to  bleak  and  barren  wastes. 

Observations  on  its  movements  are  hard  to  make,  and  so 
are  few  to-day.  An  important  record  by  G.  S.  Miller  runs 
thus:' 


'Ibid.,  p.  179. 

'  N.  A.  Fauna,  No  13,  1897,  p.  11. 


'Ibid.,  p.  179. 


Hoary-bat 


1197 


"In  August  and  September,  1890  and  189 1,  I  had  an 
opportunity  to  watch  the  appearance  and  disappearance  of 
three  species  of  Bats,  Lasionycteris  noctivagans,  Lasturus 
^oreahs,  and  Lasiurus  cinereus,  at  Highland  Light,  Cape  Cod, 
Mass.  The  animals,  which  were  not  to  be  found  during  the 
summer,  suddenly  became  numerous  shortly  afte»  the  middle 
of  August  and  remained  abundant  for  about  a  month,  when 
they  as  suddenly  disappeared.  The  regularity  with  which  this 
phenomenon  occurred  on  the  two  successive  years  over  which 
my  observations  extended  shows  that  the  migration  of  Bats  is 
probably  as  definite  as  to  dates  and  paths  as  that  of  birds." 

I  find  in  one  of  my  journals  a  Bat  note  that  refers  to  this 
present  question: 

One  day,  early  in  September,  1885, 1  we.:t  at  dawn  to  the 
marsh  near  Toronto,  Ont.,  to  see  the  autumnal  departure  of  the 
swallows  whose  head-quarters  for  a  week  before  had  been  the 
great  reed-beds  on  the  Don  side  of  the  Bay.  As  the  sky  was 
brightenmg  in  the  east,  they  began  to  arise  in  a  body,  towering 
like  a  swirling  column  of  smoke,  to  seek  the  elevation  at  which 
they  make  their  daytime  flight.  Sunrise  was  near,  and  most 
of  them  were  gone  when  a  large  Bat  arose  with  the  last  swarm 
from  the  reed-bed,  circling  up  in  plain  view.  My  companion 
called  out,  "Look  at  that  big  Bat,"  and  made  an  attempt  to 
collect  It,  but  the  Bat  sailed  away  with  the  swallows  towards  the 
south.     It  was  almost  certainly  a  Hoary-bat. 

This  incident,  if  it  proves  anything,  would  seem  to  show 
that  one  of  our  large  Bats  migrates  by  day,  and  possibly  also, 
that,  like  many  migrants,  it  seeks  chc  company  of  other 
travellers  more  likely  than  itself  to  know  the  way. 

t 

The  uninitiated  may  ask  whether  the  Bat  could  fly  in  powurs 
conripany  with  1  dashing  coursers  of  the  air  as  swallows 
without  bemg  a  hopeless  laggard.  But  none  who  know  the  Bat 
will  thmk  of  such  a  thing.  Reference  to  the  incident  of  the  old 
Red-bat  carrying  her  young  that  weighed  more  than  she  did 
and  yet  catching  flies  in  the  air  for  food,  will  show  that  these 
creatures  ha/e  solved  the  problem  of  flight  better  than  birds. 


■iliUi 


1108        Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 


'i  f 


^•"1 


U  I 


For  it  is  w^  ijoulitful  if  any  bird  could  fly  and  catrh  insects 
while  beai  ig  a  load  greater  than  its  own  weight.  And  'he 
Hoary-bat  we  kn  t<.  be  at  least  the  Red-bat's  peer  in  flight. 
The  latest  date  in  my  Journal  for  the  Hoary-bat,  at  Toronto,  is 
mid-September. 

One  of  tl.c  f.^ot  ir.'erestinK  facts  connected  with  th<  far- 
flight  of  this  Bat  .  M  occasional  vi.'.its  to  the  Bermuda;,  n 
autumn  and  eail>  vintti  ' 

As  these  if'  r.ds  ;ire  580  miles  in  a  straight  line  from  the 
nearest  land,  w  1  h  !-  ('a]"*  Hatteras,  this  is  evidcn*  -  of  very 
high-class  wiii|tf-v'"wci    idejd. 

HABITS  Concerning  its  hab  fs  ir  genf-ral.  I  have  little  <    iginal    n- 

formation,  nor  do  1  know  ot  any  11  tailed  account  rxcep*  that 
by  Dr.  Mcrriam: 

"Imagine  for  the  moment  ympathctic  reader  he  says],' 
that  you  are  an  enthusiastic  la  hunter,  .ind  have  v  iianced  to 
visit  some  northern  forest  where  this  handso  le  sfucies  occurs. 
The  early  evening  finds  you,  gun  in  hanu,  near  the  border  o»  a 
lonely  wood.  The  small  Bats  soon  begin  ">  fly,  and  in  e 
course  of  fifteen  or  twenty  minutr  y(  u  may  nave  killed  several, 
all  of  which  prove  to  be  the  Silvn  ;  lired  sprcies  {Lasionyciens 
noctivagans).  The  twilight  is  fast  iding  if  'o  night,  and  you 
are  making  a  constant  effort  of  seaiching  s  obscurity  when 
suddenly  a  large  Bat  is  seen  approaching,  perhaps  high  above 
the  tree-tops,  and  has  scared-  entered  the  limited  1  Id  of 
"ision  when,  in  swooping  for  a  pa  ^ng  insect,  he  cuts  rh  te 
of  the  distant  horizon,  and  disappears  in  the  darkness  bt 
In  breathless  suspense  you  wait  for  him  •  >  rise,  cr  .uchin 
that  his  form  may  be  sooner  outlined  ag..  nst  the  dim  ligh 
still  lingers  in  the  north-  >  est,  when  V  suddenly  sho' 
seemingly  as  big  as  an  ou  1,  within  a  fr 
Turning  quickly,  yo'  i  fire,  but  too  late! 
darkness.     For  mi.ic  than  a  week  eac! 


t'eet  of  vour  \er. 
He  has  vanished  i 

ivenit)^'  is  thua  s| 


.V. 
tVV 

iJt 

ves 
the 

t 


"J.  M.  Jones,  Mammals  uf  Bermuda,  Bull. 
•OAcJ/.,  pp.  176-7. 


S.  N    .Mu8.,     •«4.  P-  14= 


.      I 


H<  ary-bat 


ll»u 


and  y'ii  almos'  drspair  of  seeing  another  I  ioary-bat.  when, 
perhaps,  )n  a  clear,  cold  ,  ight,  just  as  the  darkness  ts  becoming 
too  mtcnsf  to  pcrmu  you  to  shoot  with  ac  racy,  and  you  are 
on  the  jv-int  of  'Mrning  away,  something  ..ppears  above  the 
horizo!  iat  s  ,■'<  a  i  rill  of  excitement  th  >ugh  \  ur  whole 
frami  1  h'  c  no  mist  king  th-  species  -  uie  si.  ,  the  sharp, 
narrow  \v  trigs,  and  tic  swift  fligh'  serve  instantly  to  distinguish 
h  from  Its  noctii  nal  romrades.  n  he  co^nes  but  just  before 
arriving  m!  un  ;  un!».iOt  he  maices  ont  of  hi^  cl  icteristic  zig- 
ts.  ui  ^  .u  I  ^h  as  he  momentarily  vanishes 
Sudo  ly  e  r  appears,  his  flight  beccmes  more 
)w  hi  £cps  sv  .,y  towards  you.  Nf  -ime  is  to 
to!  rk  to  a''m,  so  you  b  the  gun 
a  e.     ^'    th  a  piercing,     .  idulous 

n  i       'Dt  you  are  stooping  to 
gratin        reams,  uttertd  with  a 
admunish  yi      to  observe  discretion, 
/usly  take  him    n  your  ban.  I  and  hurry 


z       ^ide 

♦      'Tl  vi< 
St  ady,  ani 
'St,  and 


he 


IS    r 


qui'     ly  to  yi.  if  '-In 
cry,  ne  tails  t<»  i  ie 


J  ick 
^  me 
VV'i' 
t      .t)< 


m  h 
t  int( 
ieiigh 


'Ut  th. 

i  cau 


m  i 


rki  igs 


ig'       >  feast  your  eyes  upon  his  rid    an(    handsome 


win 
his! 
trib 


tion.     It 

perfect 

ndeed 

these 

rfect 


r    1, 


The      at  is  one  of  the  masterpieces  oi 
excmplif        in   high   degree,  the   perfect  bea 
,en-;es.  >ped  with  perfect  flight,  so  there  h 

tha  :n  the  sen  outrank  it.  And  the  Prince  a 
ics  is  ;ie  magnificent  Hoary-bat,  whos 
before  js.  To  the  general  and  generous  guts  of  ts 
adds  great  size,  with  corresponding  higher  power,  a 
iurry  '  be  ot  exquisite  beauty — a  combination  indeed  of  Sable, 
seal,  and  Silver-fox — and  last,  a  blameless  life.  Many  of  its 
Kin  have  equal  and  different  chims  to  admiration  and  respect, 
b  'all  i;iese  beauties  go  for  i.n^ght  with  the  world;  even  3s 
(  ano's  nose  outweighed  all  other  worth,  so  one  external 
bi  imns  the  Bat,  for  on  its  face  this  noble  creature  bears 

th.  ...ifk  of  Cain,  and  every  man's  hand  is  against  it.  Its 
face  is  its  fortune,  indeed,  but  alack!  an  ill-fortune  proved, 
for  none  can  discern  angel  grace  in  a  creature  cursed  with  a 


iiJ 


=lk^ 


1200 


Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 


visage  of  such  hobgoblin  ugliness.  To  this,  no  doubt,  the 
harmless  Bat  owes  thanks  for  centuries  of  human  cruelties  and 
oppression,  and  for  all  its  ill  repute.  Could  we  but  feel  and 
remember  that  this  is  the  original  of  the  winged  Brownie,  the 
sprite  that  dwells  in  caves,  coming  forth  at  the  magic  call  of  the 
dew-time,  to  sport  and  circle  in  the  airy  woods,  the  elf  that 
sometimes  truly  sleeps  the  wintcr-long  sleep  ascribed  by  legend 
to  the  elfin  folk,  and  that  is,  withal,  the  highest  and  most  gifted 
ot  the  rarth-born  beings  in  our  northern  woods— could  we  but 
keep  these  things  in  mind,  hbw  differently  we  should  feel 
towards  the  Bat. 


A  LIST  OF  THE 
CHIEF  WORKS  CITED 


l^«JL^.;l»...  .;i— ^.. 


if. 


U  i 


111 


A  LIST  OF  THE  CHIEF  WORKS  CITED. 


1795-  Samuel  Hearne.  A  Journey  from  Prince  of  Wales's 
Fort  in  Hudson  Bay,  to  the  Northern  Ocean. 
Undertaken  by  order  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company, 
for  the  discovery  of  copper  mines,  a  North-west 
Passage,  &c.,  in  the  years  1769,  1770,  1771,  and 
1772.  4to,  xliv,  458  pp.,  9  plates,  5  maps.  Lon- 
don. 

[1799-1814.  Alexander  Henry  11.  MS.  Journal,  a 
valuable  work  of  travel  and  Natural  History  obser- 
vations in  the  North-west,  edited  by  Dr.  Elliott 
Coues,  and  published  i'J97,  q.  v.] 

1823.  John  Franklin.  Narrative  of  a  Journey  to  the  shores 
of  the  Polar  Sea,  in  the  years  1819,  20,  21,  and  22. 
Narrative  by  Franklin;  Natural  History  appendix  by 
J.  Richardson,  J.  Sabine  and  others.  4to,  30  plates, 
4  maps,  768  pp.    London. 

1823.  Stephen  H.  Long.  Account  of  an  Expedition  from 
Pittsburg  to  the  Rocky  Mountains,  performed  in 
the  years  18 19  and  1820.  Notes  by  T.  Say  and 
Edwin  James.  2  vols.,  8vo,  5  and  503  pp.;  442  and 
xcvlii  pp.,  and  atlas,  2  maps  and  9  plates.  Phila- 
delphia. 

1825.  William  H.  Keating.  Narrative  of  an  Expedition  to 
the  source  of  St.  Peters  River,  Lake  Winnipeek, 
Lake  of  the  Woods,  etc.,  performed  in  the  year  1823. 
(Under  Stephen  H.  Long.)  2  vols.,  8vo,  458,  248 
pp.  Nat.  Hist,  app.,  pp.  156.  PH.  8,  ind.  i  map. 
London. 

vn 


iii 


iiKSiB 


12U4       Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 


fi  1 


m 


)l\i 


l8?3.  Richard  Harlan.  Fauna  Americana;  being  a  de- 
scription of  the  mammiferous  animals  inhabiting 
i^orth  America.    8vo,  320  pp.     Philadelphia. 

1826-8.  John  D.  Godman.  American  Natural  History.  3 
vols.,  8vo,  362,  331  and  264  pp.;  21,  19  and  9  pll. 
Philadelphia. 

1828.  John  FrankUn.    Narrative  of  a  second  expedition  to 

the  shores  of  the  Polar  Sea,  in  the  years  1825,  1826, 
and  1827.  Including  an  account  of  the  progress  of  a 
detachment  to  the  eastward,  by  John  Richardson, 
Surgeon  and  Naturalist.  4to,  xxiv-320,  clviii  pp., 
31  plates,  6  maps.    London. 

1829.  John  Richardson.    Fauna  Boreali-Americana,  Part 

I,  Quadrupeds.  4to,  xlvi-300  pp.,  23  plates.  Lon- 
don. 

1842.  James  E.  Dekay.  Zoology  of  New  York,  or  the  New 
York  Fauna,  Part  i,  Mammalia.  4to,  146  pp. 
Albany,  N.  Y. 

2846-54.    John  James  Audubon  and  John  Bachman. 

The  Quadrupeds  of  North  America.  3  vols.,  roy. 
8vo,  383-334-348  pp.,  pll.  civ.    New  York. 

[All  three  volumes  are  dated  1849.    As  no  other  date  appears,  I  give  that 
only  in  references.] 

1 851.  John  Richardson.  Arctic  Searching  Expedition:  A 
Journal  of  a  boat  voyage  through  Rupert's  Land  and 
the  Arctic  Sea,  in  search  of  the  Discovery  ships 
under  command  of  Sir  John  Franklin.  2  vols., 
8vo,  413-426  pp.    London. 

1853.  Zadock  Thompson.  Natural  History  of  Vermont. 
8vo,  224  pp.,  app.  64  pp.     Burlington,  Vt. 

1857.  Spencer  F.  Baird.  General  Report  upon  the  Zoblogy 
of  the  several  Pacific  Railroad  Routes.  Part  I, 
Mammals.  About  40  plates.  Washington.  4to, 
757  pp.  Reprinted  in  1859  as  Mammals  of  North 
America.    764  pp.,  87  plates.     Philadelphia. 


it 


A  List  of  the  Chief  Works  Cited        1205 

1857-8-9    Robert  Kennicott.  The  Quadrupeds  of  Illinois, 
injurious  and  beneficial  to  the  farmer.   Rep.  Comm 
Fat.,  Agriculture,  for  1856-7-8.    Washington. 


i860. 


1861. 


1861. 


1861. 


1862. 


1862. 


1863. 


Henry  Youle  Hind.    Narrative  Canadian  Red  River 
txplonng  Expedition  of  1857,  and  of  the  Assiniboine 
and  Saskatchewan  Exploring  Expedition  of  1858 
8vo,  2  vols.,  494  and  472  pp.    London. 

Bernard  Rogan  Ross.  A  popular  treatise  on  the 
l-ur-bcaring  Animals  of  the  Mackenzie  River  Dis- 
m^h     M  •  i  "•  ^""^  ^'°''  ^^'  PP-  5-36.    Montreal. 

t!r^       '""!  !^'^' ^'«"« "  'y"«  between  Salt  Riverand  the 
Arcjc  Ocean ;  and  he  .«ats  Lynx,  Weaib,  Dog..  WoL^l^^i 

Bernard  R.  Ross.    List  of  Mammals,  Birds,  and 
Eggs  observed  in  the  Mackenzie  River  District  with 
notices.    Can.  Nat.  and  Geol.,  VIII,  Art    XIII 
PP-  U7-I55.    Montreal.  ' 

C.  Birch  Bagster.  The  progress  and  prospects  of 
Prince  Edward  Island.  Chaps.  XV  to  XVIII  on 
Natural  History^  i2mo,  139  pp.,  app.  XXXVI  y^. 
Charlottetown,  P.  E.  I.  "^ 

[A  rare  volume.] 

Archibald  Hall.    On  the  Mammals  and  Birds  of  the 
District  of  Montreal.    Can.  Nat.  and  Geol.,  VII 

STonTelL'*  ''■'''-'''''  ''■'''-'''■'  PP- 4-430.' 

A.  E.  Vernll.    Notes  on  the  Natural  History  of  Anti- 
costi.      Proc.  Boston   Soc.   Nat.  Hist.      Vol    IX 
October,  X862,  PP   132-151.     Notes  on  Mammah 
(PP-  135-6).      Birds  and  plants 

H.  Y  Hind.    Exploration  in  the  Interior  of  the  Lab- 
Tonln  "'"     "  '°'"'  ''°'  '''  ^"^  304  pp. 


.  I 


1206        Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 

1868.  Lewis  H.  Morgan.    The  American  Beaver  and  his 

Works.  8vo,  330  pp.,  map,  23  ppl.,  and  26  cuts. 
Philadelphia. 

1869.  Campbell  Hardy.   Forest  Life  in  Acadic.  8vo,  371 

pp.,  12  illustrations.     London. 

[A  standard  woric  on  the  natural  history  of  Nova  Scotia.    Out  of  print] 

1873.  A.  Leith  Adams.    Field  and  Forest  Rambles.    8vo, 

333  PP-     London. 

[A  standard  work  on  natural  history  of  New  Brunswick.] 

1874.  J.  A.  Allen.    Notes  on  the  Natural  History  of  portions 

of  Dakota  and  Montana  Territories.  Proc.  Boston 
Soc.  Nat.  Hist.,  XVII,  pp.  33-91.  Introduction  and 
Mammals,  pp.  33  to  43.    Boston. 

1874.    Thomas  Bell.    A  History  of  British  Quadrupeds,  in- 
cluding the  Cetacea.    8vo,  474  pp.     London. 


1875.  Elliott  Coues  and  H.  C.  Yarrow.  Rept.  Expl.  and 
Surv.  West  of  looth  Meridian,  Vol.  V,  Zoology. 
Chap.  II.  Rept.  on  Mammals  by  Coues  and  Yar- 
row, pp.  35-129.    Washington. 

1875.  George  M.  Dawson.    Report  of  the  Boundary  Com- 

mission. (Geology  49th  Parallel.)  8vo,  xi-387 
pp.     Many    maps    and    illustrations.     Montreal, 

London  and  New  York. 

« 

1876.  Robert  Bell.     Report  on  the  country  west  of  Lakes 

Manitoba  and  Winnipegosis,  with  notes  on  the 
Geology  of  Lake  Winnipeg.  Rept.  Prog.  Geol. 
Surv.,  Canada,  for  1874-75.  General  description  of 
region  explored  in  summer  of  1874.  Contains  notes 
on  the  Mammals,  pp.  24-56.     Montreal. 


■f  < 


If 


A  List  of  the  Chief  Works  Cited        i«o; 

1877.  J.  A.  Allen.  History  of  the  American  Bison,  Bison 
americanus.  Ninth  Ann.  Rept.  U.  S,  Geo!,  and 
Geog.  Sur.  Terr,  for  1875.  Pub.  June,  1877,  pp. 
443-587-     F-  V.  Hayden  in  charge.     Washington. 

[The  original  memoir  had  i  map  and  la  plates,  also  discuased  extinct 
■pedes.  It  was  published  in  Geol.  Mem.,  Kenturky,  i87<i,  and 
Me<",  Mua.  Comp.  Zool.,  Cambridge?  1876.] 

1877.  J.  D.  Caton.  The  Antelope  and  Deer  of  .  >a. 
8vo,  426  pp.,  many  illustrations.    New  York. 

1877.  Elliott  Coues  and  Joel  Asaph  Allen.  Monographs 
of  North  American  Rodentia.  Vol.  XI,  U.  S.  Geol. 
Surv.  Terr.  F.  V.  Hayden  in  charge.  4to,  1,091  pp. 
Washington. 

[Manitoba  specimens  of  several  spedes  listed.] 

1877.  Elliott  Coues.    Fur-bearing  Animals.    Misc.  Pub 

No.  8,  U.  S.  Geol.  Surv.  Terr.    8vo,  348  pp.,  20 
plates.    Washington. 

1878.  C.  E.  McChesney.    Notes  on  the  Mammals  of  Fort 

Sisseton,  Dakota.  Bull.  U.  S.  Geol.  and  Geog.  Surv 
Terr.  Bull.  I,  Vol.  IV,  Art.  VIII.  Feb.  5,  1878. 
Washington. 

1878.  Joel  Asaph  Allen.  The  Geographical  distribution 
of  the  Mammalia  considered  in  relation  to  the 
principal  ontological  regions  of  the  earth,  and  the 
laws  that  govern  the  distribution  of  animal  life 
Bull.  U.  S.  Geol.  Surv.,  Vol.  IV,  No.  2,  pp.  313- 
377-    Art.  XV.    May  3.    Washington. 

1882.  John  Macoun.   Manitoba  and  The  Great  North-west. 

8vo,  687  pp.  Chap.  XX,  pp.  325-353,  devoted  to 
Mammals.    Guelph,  Ont. 

1883.  Ernest  E.  T.  Seton.    The  Striped  Gopher  {Sper- 

mophilus  tridecemlineatus  Mitchill).  Rep.  Dep.  Agr. 
Manitoba  for  1882,  pp.  169-172,  4  ills.  A  life- 
history  of  the  species  in  Manitoba.    Winnipeg. 


1208        Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 


pir 


1884.  Robert  Bell.  Observations  on  the  Geology,  Mineral- 
ogy, Zoblogy  and  Botany  of  the  Labrador  Coast, 
Hudson  Strait  and  Bay.  Rept.  P''og.  Geol.  and 
Nat.  Hist.  Surv.,  Canada.  App.  II.  Mam.,  pp.  48 
DD  to  53  DD.    Montreal,  Canada. 

1884.  Clinton  Hart  Merriam.    The  Mammals  of  the  Adi- 

rondack Region.  4to,  316  pp.  Reprinted  from 
Vols.  I  and  II.  Trans.  Linn.  Soc.,  N.  Y.,  Sept. 
1884.    New  York. 

1885.  Miller  Chr'^ty.    Notes  on  the  Mammals  of  Mani- 

toba. Nat.  Hist.  Journal  and  School  Reporter.  Vol. 
IX,  May  15,  1885,  No.  76,  pp.  67-74.  York,  Eng- 
land. 

1886.  Ernest  E.'T.  Seton.    The  Mammals  of  Manitoba. 

Hist,  and  Sci.  Soc,  Manitoba,  Trans.  No.  23,  Season 
1886.  Apaperof  15  pp.,  treating  49  species.  Read 
before  the  Soc.  on  the  evening  of  May  27,  1886. 
Pub.  in  Manitoba  Free  Press,  May,  28,  1886. 
Winnipeg. 

[A  new  edition  appeared  in  the  following  year.    It  made  a   36-pp. 
pamphlet,  treated  53  species,  and  had  6  illustrations  by  the  author.] 

1886.  Lucien  M.  Turner.     Contributions  to  the  Natural 

History  of  Alaska.  No.  II.  Arctic  series  of  Publi- 
cations, Signal  Service,  U.  S.  Army.  4to,  226  pp., 
Mammals,  pp.  197-208.    Washington. 

1887.  E.  W.  Nelson.    Report  upon  Natural  History  Collec- 

tions made  in  Alaska  between  the  years  1877  and 
1 88 1.  No.  Ill,  Arctic  se.ies.  Signal  Service,  U.  S. 
Army,  4to,  337  pp.,  21  pll.  Mammals  by  Nelson 
and  F.  W.  True,  pp.  227-293.    Washington. 

1887.  Charles  H.  Townsend.  Field  notes  on  the  Ma^i- 
mals  Birds  and  Reptiles  of  Northern  California. 
Proc.  U.  S.  Nat.  Mus.,  X,  pp.  159-241.  Mammals, 
pp.  164-190.    Washington. 


1888. 


A  List  of  the  Chief  Works  Cited        1209 

1888.  Eraest  Thompson  Seton.  Tracks  in  the  Snow.  St. 
Nicholas,  March,  18S8.  Pp.  338-341,  6  diagrams. 
New  York. 

[Many  tncks  and  track  inddenU  are  given.] 

1888.  Vernon  Bailey.  Report  on  some  of  the  Results  of  a 
Trip  through  parts  of  Minnesota  and  Dakota.  Ann. 
Rept.  Dep.  Agr.,  1887.  Pp.  426-454.  Washing- 
ton. 

Miles  Spencer.  Notes  on  the  Breeding  Habits  of 
certain  Mammals,  from  personal  observations  and 
enquiries  from  Indians.  App.  Ill,  pp.  76-79. 
Rept.  Expl.  James  Bay  and  country  east  of  Hudson 
Bay,  by  A.  P.  Low.  Ann.  Rept.  Geol.  and  Nat. 
Hist.  Surv.,  Canada,  Vol.  III.    Montreal. 

W.  T.  Horaaday.  The  Extermination  of  the 
American  Bison.  Ann.  Rept.  U.  S.  Nat.  Mus.  for 
1887,  pp.  367-548,  with  map  and  many  illustrations, 
Washington. 

J.  A.  Allen.  List  of  Mammals  collected  by  Mr. 
Clark  P.  Streator  in  British  Columbia,  with  descrip- 
tions of  two  new  sub-species  of  Sciurus.  Bull.  Am. 
Mus.  Nat.  Hist.,  Vol.  Ill,  No.  I,  Art.  IX,  pp.  161- 
168,  Nov.  14,  1890.    New  York. 

C.  Hart  Merriam.  Results  of  a  Biological  Survey  of 
the  San  Francisco  Mountain  Region,  and  the  Desert 
of  the  Little  Colorado,  Arizona.  N.  Am.  Fauna, 
No.  3,  Div.  Ornithology  and  Mammalogy,  U.  s! 
Dep.  Agr.,  136  pp.,  13  plates,  5  maps.  Washing- 
ton. 

X891.  J.A.Allen.  On  a  collectionof  Mammals  from  South- 
em  Texas  and  North-eastern  Mexico.  Bull.  Am. 
Mus.  Nat.  Hist,  Vol.  Ill,  No.  2,  Art.  XV,  pp. 
219-228.    April  29,  1891.    New  York. 


1889. 


X890. 


1890. 


Hio        Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 


i:' 


X891.  Edgar  A.  Mearns.  Description  of  a  new  sub-species 
of  the  Eastern  Chipmunk,  from  the  upper  Missis- 
sippi region,  west  of  the  Great  Lakes.  Bull.  Am. 
Mus.  Nat.  Hist.,  Vol.  Ill,  No.  2,  Art.  XVI,  pp. 
229-233.    New  York, 

1891.  J.  A.  Allen.  Notes  on  new  or  little  known  North 
American  Mammals,  based  on  recent  additions  to 
the  Collection  of  Mammals  in  the  American  Museum 
of  Natural  History.  Bull.  Am.  Mus.  Nat.  Hist., 
Vol.  Ill,  No.  2,  Art.  XX,  pp.  236-310.    June  30, 

1 89 1.  New  York. 

1891.  C.  Hart  Merriam.    Results  of  a  Biological  Recon- 

naissance of  South  Central  Idaho.  N.  A.  Fauna, 
No.  5,  Div.  Oniith.  and  Mam.,  U.  S.  Dep.  Agr.,  127 
pp.,  4  plates.    Washington. 

1892.  J.  A.  Allen.   The  Geographical  Distribution  of  North 

American  Mammals.  Bull  Am.  Mus.  Nat.  Hist., 
Vol.  IV,  No.  I,  Art.  XIV,  pp.  199-243.  (Read  before 
N.  Y.  Acad.  Sci.  Jan.  26,  1891.)    Derember  29, 

1892.  New  York. 

1892.  C.  Hart  Merriam.  The  Geographical  Distribution  of 
Life  in  North  America,  with  special  reference  to  the 
Mammalia.  Proc.  Biol.  Soc.  Washington,  Vol.  VII, 
pp.  1-64  (with  map).    April  13,  1892.    Washington. 

1892.  J.  B.  Tyrrell.  Report  on  North-western  Manitoba, 
with  portions  of  the  adjacent  districts  of  Assiniboia 
and  Saskatchewan.  Ann.  Rept.  Geol.  Surv.,  Canada, 
Vol.  V,  Part  I,  pp.  1E-235E.  General  report  on 
explorations  made  during  seasons  of  1887,  1888, 
1889,  and  1890.  A  few  notes  on  mammals. 
Montreal. 

1892.  Horace  T.  Martin.  Castorologia,  or  the  History  and 
Traditions  of  the  Canadian  Beaver.  8vo,  238  pp., 
54  ills.     Montreal  and  London. 


A  Lis?  of  the  Chief  Works  Cited        i«il 

1892.  Henry  Poland.    Fu'-bearing  Animals  in  Nature  and 

Commerce     8vo,  392  pp.,  16  illustrations.    Chiefl> 
used  for  Statistics  of  Fur  returns.    Pp.  xxii-xxxiii. 

1893.  Harrison  Allen.    A  Monograph  of  the  Bats  of  North 

America.    U.  S.  Nat.  Mus.,  Bull.  No.  43,  198  pp. 
38  pll.     Washington. 

1893.  J.  A.  Allen.  List  of  Mammals  and  Birds  collected  in 
North-eastern  Sonora  and  North-western  Chihua- 
hua. Mexico,  on  the  Lumholtz  Archaeological  Expedi- 
tion, 1890-92.  Bull.  Am.  Mus.  Nat.  Hist.,  Vol.  V, 
Art.  Ill,  pp.  27-42.    March  i^,  1893.     New  York! 

1893.  J.  A.  Allen.  List  of  Mammals  collected  by  Mr. 
Charles  P.  Rowley  in  the  San  Juan  Region  of 
Colorado,  New  Mexico  and  Utah,  with  description 
of  New  Species.  Bull.  Am.  Mus.  Nat.  Hist.,  Vol.  V, 
Art.  VI,  pp.  69-84.    April  28,  1893.    New  York. 

1893.  J.  A.  Allen.  On  a  Collection  of  Mammals  from  the 
San  Pedro  Martir  Region  of  Lower  California,  with 
Notes  on  other  Species,  particularly  of  the  Genus 
Sitomys.  Bull.  Am.  Mus.  Nat.  Hist.,  Vol.  V,  Art. 
XII,  pp.  181-202.    August  18,  1893.    New  York. 

1893.  C.  C.  Nutting.  Rept.  ZoOl.  Expl.  Lower  Saskatche- 
wan.  Bull.  Laboratories  Nat.  Hist.  University 
Iowa,  Vol.  II,  No  3,  pp.  235-293.    Iowa  City,  la. 

[Contains  a  few  notes  on  Manitoba  Mammals  ] 

1893.  Vernon  Bailey.     The  Prairie  Ground  Squirrels  or 

Spermophiles  of  the  Mississippi  Valley.  Bull.  No. 
4,  Div.  Ornith.  and  Mam.,  U.  S.  Dept.  Agr.,  69  pp.| 
4  maps.     Washington. 

1894.  J.  A.  Allen.     Notes  on  Mammals  from  New  Bruns- 

wick, with  Descriptions  of  a  New  Species  of  Evo- 
tomys.  Bull.  Am.  Mus.  Nat.  Hist.,  Vol.  VI,  Art. 
Ill,  pp.  99-106.    April  14,  1894.     New  York.' 


im        Lifc-historics  of  Northern  Animals 

1894.  J.  A.  Allen.  On  the  Seasonal  Change  of  colour  in  the 
Varying  Hare  {Lepus  americanus  Erxl.).  Bull.  Am. 
Mus.  Nat    Hist.,  Vol.  VI,  Art.  IV,  pp.  107-128. 

May  7,  !8'if ,  New  Yorv 

1894.  J.  A.  AUeii.  On  tlic  Mammals  of  Aransas  County, 
Texas,  with  Descriptions  of  New  Forms  of  Lepus  and 
Oryxomys.  Bull.  An*.  Mus.  Nat.  Hist.,  Vol.  VI, 
Art.  VI,  pp.  165-198.    May  31,  1894.    New  York. 

1894.  Frank  M.  Chapman.  Remarks  on  Certain  Land 
Mammals  from  Florida,  with  a  list  of  the  Species 
known  to  occur  in  the  State.  Bull.  Am.  Mus.  Nat. 
Hist.,  Vol.  VI,  Art.  XIV,  pp.  333-346.  November 
30,  1894..    New  York. 

1894.  J.  A.  Allen.      Remarks  on  a  second  Collection  of 

Mammals  from  New  Brunswick,  and  on  the  Re- 
discovery of  the  Genus  Neotoma  in  New  York  State. 
Bull.  Am.  Mus.  Nat.  Hist.,  Vol.  VI,  Art.  XVII,  pp. 
359-364.    December  22,  1894.    New  York. 

1895.  J.  A.  Allen.     1  ist  of  Mammals  collected  in  the  Black 

Hills  Region  of  South  Dakota  and  in  Western  Kan- 
sas, by  Mr.  Walter  W.  Granger,  with  Field  Notes  by 
the  Collector.  Bull.  Am.  Mus.  Nat.  Hist.,  Vol.  VII, 
Art.  VII,  pp.  259-274.  August  21,  1895.  New 
York. 

1895.  C.  Hart  Merriam.  Revision  of  the  Shrews  of  the 
American  Genera  Blarina  and  Notiosorex.  N.  Am. 
Fauna,  No.  10,  Div.  Ornith.  and  Mam.,  U.  S.  Dep. 
Agr.,  pp.  5-34.  Synopsis  of  the  American  Shrews 
of  the  Genus  Sorex  (same  Fauna).  Pp.  57-98. 
Washington. 

1895.  Gerrit  S.  Miller,  Jr.  The  Long-tailed  Shrews  of  the 
Eastern  U.  S.  N.  Am.  Fauna,  No.  10,  Div.  Ornith. 
and  Mam.,  U.  S.  Dep.  Agr.,  pp.  35-56.  Wash- 
ington. 


1896. 

1896. 
1896. 

1896. 
IH96. 


1896. 
1896. 

1896. 
1896. 


A  List  of  the  Chief  Works  Cited         ms 

C.HartMerriam.    Synopsis  of  the  WcaseU .    North 

Mam.,  U.  S.  Dept.  Agr.,  33  pp.,  5  plate,.    W  aahing- 
ton.  * 

North  America.    Proc.  Biol.  Soc.  Washington.  Vol 
A.  pp.  1-23.     February,  1896.    Washington. 

°?roTi®f"*?'j  ^"/  *""""  ^°"*"'°"  of  Mammal, 
from    Lake   Edward,   Quebec.     Proc.    Biol.    Soc. 

C.  Hart  Merriam.     Preliminary  Synopsis  of   the 
American  Bears.    Proc.  Biol.  Soc.  Washington,  Vol 
A,  pp.  65-83.    April  13,  1896.    Washington. 

"''w'i,"^"w'..^'"  °^  Mammals  collected  by  Mr. 
Walter  W.  Granger,  in  Nc^  Mexico,  Utah.  Wyo- 
ming  and  Nebraska,  1895-96,  with  Field  Note,  by 
the  Collector     Bull.  Am.  Mus.  Nat.  Hist.,  Vol 

NcwVork.      '  ^"  '^"'^^     ^°'''"'^"  ^5.  1896. 

North  Amenc       ^-■.-    lid.  Soc.  Washington,  Vo: 
A,  pp.  145-167.     ^c,oer28.i896.    Washingt^^n. 

A.  P  Low.  List  of  Mammalia  oftheLabraic-p'i  > 
sula,  with  short  notes  on  their  distributio.  .     ann 
Kept.  Geol.  Surv.,  Canada.    Vol.  VITT  Add  I  on" 
3^3-321.    Ottawa.  ^^'    '  ^P" 

T.  S.  Palmer.    The  .      k  ?>.b:,its  of  the  United 
States.     Bull.  No.  8,  0,v.  Ornith.  and  Mam..  US 
Dcp.  Agr.,  84  pp.,  6  plates.     Washington. 

^^^  S-  Miller,  Jr.    Gene,  a  and  Sub-genera  of 
Voles  and  Lemmings.     N.  A.  ^anna,  No   12   Div 


!   \ 


1214        Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 


1/ ' 


1897.  Vernon  Bailey.  Revision  of  the  American  Voles  of 
the  Genus  Evotomys.  Proc.  Biol.  Soc.  Washington, 
Vol.  XI,  pp.  1 13-138.    May  13, 1897.    Washington. 

1897.  Gerrit  S.  Miller,  Jr.  Notes  on  the  Maznmals  of 
Ontario.  Proc.  Boston  Soc.  Nat.  Hist.,  Vol.  28, 
No.  I,  pp.  1-44.    Boston. 

1897.  Gerrit  S.  Miller,  Jr.  Revision  of  the  North  Amer- 
ican Bats  of  the  Family  Vespertilionida.  N.  Am. 
Fauna,  No.  13,  Div.  Biol.  Surv.,  U.  S.  Dep.  Agr., 
140  pp.,  3  plates.    Washington. 

1897.  Alexander  Henry,  II.    The  MS.  Journals  of  Alex. 

Henry  and  David  Thompson,  1799-1814.  Edited 
by  Elliott  Coues.  3  vols.,  8vo,  916  pp.,  with  map.s. 
New  York. 

[E.  Coues,  the  editor,  says  (u.  xx)  "the  main  text  ronsists  solely  of 
Henry's  Journal,  Thompson's  .»ntributions  being,  '-e  my  own, 
confined  to  the  foot-notes."  It  is  greatly  to  •::  Tcgre  d,  therefore, 
that  the  title  should  have  been  contpUcatei.  jy  the  addition  of 
Thompson's  name.] 

1898.  John  Fannin.  A  preliminary  Catalogue  of  the  collec- 

tions of  Nat.  Hist,  and  Ethnology  in  th*.  rovincial 
Museum,  Victoria,  British  Columbia.  8vo,  •  96  pp. 
Victoria. 

1898.  D.  G.  Elliott.  Lists  of  species  of  Mammals  from 
Iowa,  Wyoming,  Montana,  Idaho,  Nevada  and  Cali- 
fornia. Field  Col.  Mus.  Pub.  27,  Zool.  Ser.,  Vol.  I, 
No.  10,  pp.  193-221.    March,  1898.    Chicago. 

1898.  J.  A.  Allen.  Revision  of  the  Chickarees,  or  American 
Red  Squirrels  (sub-genus  Tamiasciurus).  Bull.  Am. 
Mus.  Nat.  Hist.,  Vol.  X,  Art.  XIV,  pp.  249-298. 
July  22,  1898.    New  York. 

1898.  Outram  Bangs.  A  List  of  the  M.immals  of  Labrador. 
The  Am.  Nat.,  Vol.  XXXII,  pp.  489-507.  July, 
1898.     Boston. 


A  List  of  the  Chief  Works  Cited        ms 

1898.  Outram  Bangs.    The  Land  Mammals  of  Peninsular 

Florida,  and  the  Coast  Region  of  Georgia.  Proc. 
Boston  Soc.  Nat.  Hist.,  Vol.  XXVIII,  No.  7,  pp. 
i57-*35-    Boston. 

1 899.  J.  A.  Allen.   The  North  American  Arboreal  Squirrels. 

American  Naturalist,  Vol.  XXXIII,  No.  392,  pp. 
635-642.    August,  1899.    Boston. 

1899.  Gerrit  S.  Miller,  Jr.  Preliminary  List  of  the  Mam- 
mals of  New  York.  Bull.  N.  Y.  State  Museum. 
Vol.  VI,  No.  29,  pp.  274-390.  October,  1899. 
Albany. 

1899.  Edward  A.  Preble.  Revision  of  the  Jumping  Mice  of 
the  Genus  Zapus.  N.  Am.  Fauna,  No.  15,  Biol. 
Surv.,  U.  S.  Dep.  Agr.,  41  pp.,  i  plate.    Washington. 

1899.  C.  Hart  Merriam.    Result  of  a  Biological  Survey  of 

Mount  Shasta,  Cal.  N.  Am.  Fauna,  No.  16,  Div. 
Biol.  Surv.,  U.  S.  Dep.  Agr.,  179  pp.,  5  plates,  46 
text  figures.    Washington. 

1900.  Gerrit  S.  Miller,  Jr.    Key  to  the  Land  Mammals  of 

North-eastern  North  America.  Bull.  N.  Y.  State 
Mus.,  No.  38,  Vol.  VIII,  160  pp.  October,  1900. 
Albany. 

1900.  C.  Hart  Merriam.  Preliminary  Revision  of  the 
North  American  Red  Foxes.  Proc.  Wash.  Acad. 
Sci.,  Vol.  II,  pp.  661-676.  December  28,  1900. 
Washington. 

1900.  Vernon  Bailey.  Revision  of  American  Voles  of  the 
Genus  Microtus.  N.  Am.  Fauna,  No.  17,  Div. 
Biol.  Surv.,  U.  S.  Dep.  Agr.,  88  pp.,  5  plates. 
Washington. 

1900.  W.  H.  Osgood.  Results  of  a  Biological  Reconniis- 
sance  of  the  Yukon  River  Region.  N.  Am.  Fauna, 
No.  19,  Div.  Biol.  Surv.,  U.  S.  Dep.  Agr.,  100  pp., 
7  plates.    Washington. 


1216       Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 


r\- 


1901.  D.  G.  Elliott.  A  Synopsis  of  the  Mammals  of  Nonh 
America  and  the  Adjacent  Seas.  Pub.  No.  45, 
Zool.  Ser.,  Vol.  II,  Field  Columbian  Museum.  8vo, 
471  pp.    Chicago. 

1901.  Gerrit  S.  Miller,  Jr.,  and  Jas.  A.  G.  Rehn.  System- 
atic  results  of  the  study  of  North  American  Land 
Mammals  to  the  close  of  the  year  1 900.  Proc.  Boston 
Soc.  Nat.  Hist.,  Vol  XXX,  No.  i,  352  pp.    Boston. 

[Many  of  my  referena^  to  ancient  work*  are  taken  from  this.] 

1901.  A.  H.  Howell.  Revision  of  the  Skunks  of  the  Genus 
Chincha.  N.  A.  Fauna,  No.  20,  Div.  Biol.  Surv., 
U.  S.  Dep.  Agr.,  62  pp.,  8  plates.    Washington. 

[Chincha-Mephitis.] 

1901.  W.  H.  Osgood.    Natural  History  of  the  Queen  Char- 

lotte Islands,  British  Columbia.  Natural  Hi.story  of 
the  Cook  Inlet  Region,  Alaska.  N.  A.  Fauna,  No. 
21.  Div.  Biol.  Surv.,  U.  S.  Dep.  Agr.,  87  pp.,  7 
plates.    Washington. 

1902.  Ernest  Thompson  Seton.    American  Woodcraft. 

Ladies'  Home  Journal,  May,  1902,  pp.  15  and  41. 
Article  on  the  tracks  of  animals.  14  ills.  Phila- 
delphia. 

1902.  Ernest  Thompson  Seton.  American  Woodcraft. 
Ladies'  Home  Journal,  June,  1902,  p.  15.  Article 
on  the  tracks  of  animals.     1 1  ills.    Philadelphia. 

1902.  Ernest  Thompson  Seton.  American  Woodcraft— 
'Freezing.'  Ladies'  Home  Journal.  November,  1902, 
p.  15.  Article  on  'freezing,'  a  protective  device  of 
animals.     4  ills.    Philadelphia. 

1902.  Witmer  Stone  and  W.  E.  Cram.  American  Ani- 
mals. A  popular  gu'de  to  the  Mammals  of  North 
America,  North  of  Mexico,  with  intimate  biogra- 
phies of  the  more  familiar  species.  4to,  318  pp., 
with  many  illustrations.    New  York. 


A  List  of  the  Chief  Works  Cited        1217 

1902.    Edward  A.  Preble.     A  Biological  Investigation  of 
the  Hudson  Bay  Region.    N.  Am.  Fauna,  No   22 

Edwin  HoUis.  Collection  Small  Mammals  in  N.  W 
T.,  Canada.  The  Zoologist,  August  15,  1002.  Pd 
293-298.    London.  *^* 

[Notes  on  aa  species  taken  near  Touchwood  HiUs,  Sask.] 

Samuel  N.  Rhoads.  The  Mammals  of  Pennsylvania 
and  New  Jersey.  8vo,  266  pp.,  with  plates  and  a 
faunal  map.    Privately  published.    Philadelphia. 

"^kn^TT^c^  '^-  ^Vy*??y^^'  ^'  G.  Elliott, 
and  A.  J.  Stone.     The  Deer  Family.    7^00    7 

T-^i   ^  S-  "^«  M*"-'^'"'  «"d  25  illustrations 
chiefly  by  C.  Rungius.    New  York. 

^w**'  T.  Seton.  The  Master  Plowman  of  The 
West.     Century  Magazine,  June.     A  study  of  Tho- 

Z''"'^':    .^P-  299-307,  8  illustrations  by  the  author. 
New  York. 

J.  D.  Figgins.     Field  Notes  on  the  Birds  and  Mam- 
mals of  the  Cook  Inlei  Region  of  Alaska.     Proc 
Lmn.  Soc.  N.  Y.     December  19.     New  York. 

WiUiMi  Temple  Homaday.  The  American  Nat- 
ural History.  4to,  449  pp.,  with  many  illustrations. 
New  York. 

W.  H.  Osgood.    A  Biological  Reconnaissance  of  the 
Base  of  the  Alaska  Peninsula.    N.  Am.  Fauna,  No 
24.  Div.  Biol.  Surv.,  U.  S.  Dep.  Agr.,  86  pp..  7 
plates.    Washington.  ^^'  ' 

Woods  Hutchinson.    Animal    Marriage.    Cotem- 
porary  Review,  October,  1904.     Pp.  485-4.06 
1904-5-6.    J.G.MiUais.    The  Mammals  of  Great  Britain 
Londo  *"^'    ^  ^°'^'  ^^^'  **°'  '"'^"^  '"ustrations. 


1902. 


1903. 


1903. 


1904. 


1904. 


1904. 


1904. 


1904. 


1218        Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 


U' 


1905.  Ernest  Thompson  Seton.  The  Secrets  of  the 
Trail.  Country  Life  in  America,  June,  1905.  Pp. 
202-205.  '5  'I's.  by  the  author.  Gives  the  trails  of 
many  common  animals.    New  York. 

1905.  Vernon  Bailey.  Biological  Survey  of  Texas.  N.Am. 
Fauna,  No.  25,  Bur.  Biol.  Surv.,  U.  S.  Dep.  Agr., 
222  pp.,   16  plates,  23  text  hgures.    Washington. 

1905.  R.  MacFarlane.     Notes  on  Mammals  collected  and 

observed  in  the  northern  Mackenzie  River  District, 
north-west  Territories  of  Canada,  with  remarks  on 
explorers  and  explorations  of  the  Far  North.  Proc. 
U.  S.  Nat.  Mus.,  Vol.  XXVIII,  pp.  673-764.  No. 
1405.    Washington. 

1906.  Ernest  Thompson  Seton.    The  Wapiti  and  His 

Antlers.  Scribner's  Magazine,  January,  igot.  Pp. 
•5~33.  J  "™3p,  16  illustrations,  6  photographs.  New 
York. 

1906.  Edward  R.  War  en.  The  Mammals  of  Colorado. 
Colorado  College  Publ.,  Vol.  XI,  No.  46.  Sci. 
Series,  pp.  225-274.  January,  1906.  Colorado 
Springs. 

1906.  Ernest  Thompson  Seton.  The  Moose  and  His 
Antlers.  Scribner's  Magazine,  February,  1906.  Pp. 
157-178,  I  map,  21  illustrations,  4  photographs. 
New  York. 

1906.  Ernest  Thompson  Seton.  The  Caribou  and  His 
Kindred.  Scribner's  Magazine,  April,  1906.  Pp. 
426-443,  I  map,  15  illustrations,  5  photographs. 
New  York. 

1906.  Ernest  Thompson  Seton.  The  Prong-horned 
Antelope.  Scribner's  Magazine,  Juiy,  1906.  Pp. 
33-49,1  map,  10  illustrations,  6  photographs.  New 
York. 


I906. 


1906. 
1906. 
1906. 

1906. 

1906. 
1906. 
1907. 

1907. 


A  List  of  the  Chief  Works  Cited         1219 

J.  A.  Allen.     Mammals  from  the  States  of  Sinaloa 

and  Jalisco,  Mexico,  collected  by  J.  H.  Batty,  during 

1904  and  1905.     Bull.  Am.  Mus.  Nat.  Hist.,  Vol 

XXII,  Art.  XII,  pp.  19,-262.    July  25, 1906.     New 
York. 

Ernest  Thompson  Seton.  The  White-tailed  (Vir- 
ginian) Deer  and  Its  Kin.  Scribner's  Magazme, 
September,  ,906.  Pp.  321-34,,  ,  map,  20  illus- 
tratjons,  ,  photograph.     New  York. 

Ernest  Thompson  Seton.    The  American  Bison  or 
Buffalo.     Scrtbner's  Magazme,  October,  1906.    Pp. 
385-405,  2  maps,  ,6  illustrations,  6  photographs 
New  York 

William  T.  Homaday.     Camp-fires  in  the  Cana- 
dian Rockies,  by  William  T.  Hornaday  and  John  M 
Phillips.    353  pp.,  with  2  maps  and  many  illustra- 
tions, chiefly  photographs.     New  York. 

Ernest  Thompson  Seton.     The  Smallest  of  all 
Beasts  of  Prey.     fFestern  Sportsman.     Pp.  316-318 
December,  ,  906.     Account  of  Putorius  rixosus,  with 
map  and  illustrations.     Winnipeg. 

J.  S.  Talbot.  Foxes  at  Home  and  Reminiscences. 
8V0,  155  pp.,  13  illustrations,  mostly  photographs 
London. 

Charles  C.  Adams.  An  Ecological  Survey  in 
Northern  Michigan.  8vo,  133  pp.,  21  illustrations; 
many  lists,  including  Mammals. 

Ernest  Thompson  Seton.    The  Merry  Chipmunk. 
Success  Magazme,  May,   1907.     Pp.  328-33,,  also 
PP-  368,  369  and  370;    4  illustrations  by  author 
New  York. 

Ernest  Thompson  Seton.  The  Snowshoe  Rabbit 
Everybody's  Magazine,  May,  1907.  Pp.  599-608; 
9  illustrations  and  map  by  author.     New  York. 


1220        Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 


1907.  Ernest  Thompson  Seton.  Dogs  of  Song.  The 
Life-habits  and  Wonderful  Vocal  Abilities  of  the 
Coyote.  Success  Magazine,  August,  1907.  Pp.  537, 
539  and  562-3,  I  map,  7  drawings,  i  photograph. 
New  York. 

1907.  A.  Franklin  Shull.  Habits  of  the  Short-tailed  Shrew 
Blarina  brevicauda  (Say).  Am.  Nat.,  August,  1 907. 
Pp.  495-522,  10  illustrations.     Boston. 

1907.  Ernest  Thompson  Seton.  The  Habits  of  Wolves. 
American  Magazine,  October,  1907.  Pp.  636-645; 
9  illustrations  by  the  author.     New  York. 

1907.  Edgar  Alexander  Mearns.       Mammals  of  the 

Mexican  Boundary  of  the  United  States.  Part  I, 
DiJelphiidee  to  Murida.  U.  S.  Nat.  Mus.  Bull.  56, 
530  pp. ;  many  maps  and  illustrations.    Washington. 

1908.  Edward  R.  Warren.     Further  notes  on  the  Mam- 

mals of  Colorado.  Colorado  College  Publication. 
General  Series  No.  33,  Engin.  Ser.,  Vol.  I,  No.  4, 
pp.  59-90.     Colorado  Springs,  January,  1908. 

1908.  Edward  A.  Preble.     A  Biological  Investigation  of 

the  Athabaska-Mackenzie  Region.  N.  A.  Fauna, 
No.  27,  Bur.  Biol.  Survey,  U.  S.  D^o.  Agr.,  574  pp., 
Plate  XXV;  text  figures,  16.  Waslungton,  October 
26,  1908. 

1909.  Wilfred  H.  Osgood.    Revision  of  the  Mice  of  the 

American  Genus  Peromyscus.  N.  A.  Fauna,  No.  28, 
Bur.  Biol.  Survey,  U.  S.  Dep.  Agr.,  285  pp.,  8  plates, 
12  text  figures  (/.  e.,  maps).     Washington. 

1909.  E.  W.  Nelson.  The  Rabbits  of  North  America. 
N.  A.  Fauna,  No.  29,  Bur.  Biol.  Surv.,  U.  S.  Dep. 
Agr.,  314  pp..  Plates  XIII;  text  figures,  chiefly 
maps,  19.    Washington,  August,  1909. 


SYNOPTIC  INDEX 


f 


11 


I 


1 

If 

u 

lii 

SYNOPTIC   INDEX 

are  synopttt,  >i  thu  plan  seemed  more  likely  to  be  of  service      For  e«mnl. 

•AnlZl^^'r:  "  "-'^  -'P'''^«'c.  Hu.  .he  Z^JZ^^t 
Antelope  chapter,'  given  next,  are  in  their  actual  o.  synoptic  order 

Under  the  name  of  each  authority  the  alphabetic  order  i.  based  on  the 
capitthzed  name  of  the  animal. 

Every  imporunt  faa  h  entered  under  at  least  two  different  heading.. 


^DAMS,  C  C,  on  B«lger  mnge,  998. 

Ad-jee-dah-mo  or  Red-squirrel,  ,07. 

Adney,  Tappan,  on  buU  Moose  fidelity. 

168.  •" 

on  word  'Pekonk,'  i,j«. 
'Esthetic  instincts  of  Animals,  30 
Agaasix,  Lake,  Map  a;  6,  7. 
Agassiz,  L.,  on  range  of  Red-backed  Vole. 
S08.  ^ 

Age  attained  by  animals,  ^3. 
Ah-ging-goos  or  Chipmunk,  337. 
Ah-gwin-gwis  or  Chipmunk,  337. 
Ah-kuk-wah-djees  or  Woodchuck,  416. 
Ah-me-ko    Wahwah-be-gah-not-see 

or  Mear;ow-mouae,  515. 
Ah-mik  or  Beaver,  447. 
Ah-nJk-kuk  01  Beaver,  447. 
Ah-misk  or  Beaver,  447. 
Ahneemcckong,   Indian  interpreter,  515 

and  Introdiiction,  p.  x. 
Ah-pe-kwa-i  -ili-djee  or  Little  Brown-bat. 

"47 
Ah-pe-tchi-musis  or  Mule-deer,  114. 
Ah-pi<hee-ah-tik  or  Antelope,  ao9. 
Ah-pik-wa-sees  or  Deermouse,  490. 
Ah-tah-chah  or  Chipmunk,  337. 
Ah-tik  or  Caribou,  187. 
Alces  (genus),  144. 
"    alces  146. 

amen'canus,  144,  151. 
"    gigaa,  146. 
Alkaline  Lakes  of  Manitoba,  la 

1223 


Allard,  C,  herd  of  Buffalo,  299. 
Allen,  Harrison,  on  Bat-lice  and  bedbugs, 
1x62. 
on  Bat-wings,  1155. 
Allen,  Dr.  J.  A.,  on  Antelope  epidemic. 

on  Buffalo  deatroyed  by  Indians,  261. 

on  Buffalo  range,  255. 

on  Geographic  distrib.,  n,  12. 

on  Moose  in  Mass.,  i4;'. 

on  coition  of  Red-bat,  ?  186. 

on  colour  change  of  Snowshoe-rabbit, 

623-624. 
on  races  of  Snowshoe-rabbit,  622. 
Allen,  William,  on  last  of  southern  Buffalo 

895-296. 
Ambystoma    tigrinum,   in   Gopher  hole, 

57»;  in  Ground-squirrel  hole,  399. 
American  Blackbear,  see  Blackbear. 
Amusements  of  animals,  29. 
Antelope,  241-242. 
Badger,  1000. 
Buffalo,  287. 
Chipmunk,  345,  361. 
Elk.  $2. 

Flying-squirrel,  445. 
Jumping-mouse,  594. 
Lynx,  682. 
Moose,  178,  181. 
Mule-deer,  135. 
Otter,  829-834. 
Red-squirrel,  313,  330. 


l««4        Life-histories  of  North    n  Animals 


ItH 


Snowshoo-rabbit,  6a8. 
Weasel,  856 
Wolf,  77(/-7!io. 
Andcrs<>n,  A.  A  ,  on  number  of  Antelupe 

in  igoo,  311 
Anderaon,  Thum.is  (H.  B    Co.  ofi\  er  at 
Fort  Smillii,  on  attachment  of  nuttcil 
Foxes,  714 
on  I'ox  caching  tggi,  735 
Antelope,  Pronnhomed,  PI.  XIV,  p.  log; 
XV,  p.  aasi  XVI,  p.  a»s;  XVII,  p.  aaq; 
XVIII.  p.  jji;   XIX,  p.  141;    XX,  i 
a44;   XXI,  p.  J44. 
biuKraphy,  aotj;  names,  20Q,  aia,  J14; 
characters,  siie,  weight,  colour,  310; 
poaes    (figs),    tracks    (fiRS.),    an, 
races,  discovery,  aia;    lite-history, 
range,  114;  Range  Map  q,  aij;  in 
Manitoba,  314;    home-range,  ai6; 
migration,  ai 7;  stampede,  aiS;  an- 
cient numbers,  atg;  present  num- 
bers, aai;  shedding  of  horns,  aaa, 
aaj;    horns  of  doe,  record  horns, 
My,    freak  horns  (fig.),  object  of 
prong,  discograph,  aa4;  its  use,  aas, 
its  mechanism  (fig.),  aa6;   glands, 
aa7;  voice,  eye,  aa8;  weeping,  feet, 
aag;  speech,  ajo;  gait,  aji;  speed 
scale,  a33;    curiosity,  a34;    foods, 
no  drink  on  Plains,  a35;  domestica- 
tion, a36;    enemies,  disease,  337; 
winter   life,    young,    238;     mother 
bravery,  a3g;  fawn's  life,  140;  Sep 
tembe:,  241;   play,  a4i-a4a;   mat- 
ing, 343;  polygamy,  duels,  a43;  use 
of  horns,  a44;   a  despairing  buck, 

Antilocapra  (genus),  aio. 
.J^ntilocapra  americana,  aog,  ai3. 

"  "        mexicana,  aia,  ai3. 

"  "        palmata,  aia,  113. 

Antilocapridx  (Family),  a  10. 

probably    jMrt   of  Bovidc, 
aio. 
Ap-is<hech-i-koosh  or  Mule-deer,  114. 
Appecoosesh  or  Ueermouse,  490. 
Appek-kusis  or  Deermouse,  4go. 
Arctic  Deermouse,  see  Deermouse,  Arctic. 
Arctomys  franklinii,  37a. 
Argoll,  Sir  Samuel,  saw  first  Buffalo  in 

Virginia,  i$2. 
Arocoun,  S4>e  Raccoon. 


.\rvJcola  auslrnis  minor   jjj. 

"        boiealis,  5  .S. 

drummondii,  515. 
KapjK  i.  S06. 

"        ri|>ariui,  5a6. 
Asapan  nr  Klying-squirrtl,  437. 
Asncs  Miivage  ur  Caribou,  igo. 
Atjacka-  ii-w  or  .Mink,  87a. 
\tki  «Hi,  |ohn,  on  Badger  range,  ggS. 
.Audubon    (John   James)   and   Bachman 
(Rev.  John  I 

'>n  courage  of  Antelope  mother,  ajg. 

on  >;,)!     ,i  .\ntelope,  830. 

on  nursing  Antelope,  ajg. 

on  BaflmT  weight,  996. 

on  Hi'aver  weight,  447. 

on  Blackbear  eating  arum,  1081 

on  migration  of  Blackbear,  1058. 

on  sign-boards  of  Blackbeiir,  1060. 

on  size  of  Blackbear,  1053. 

on  mating  of  BufTalo  cow,  387. 

on  size  of  Buffalo  cow,  349. 

on  size  of  Caribou,  187. 

on  carnivorous  Chipmunks,  355. 

on  cheek-pouches  of  Chipmunks,  ^^7- 
358. 

on  slaughter  of  Chipmunkf  by  Wea- 
sel, 361. 

on  stores  of  Chipmunks,  360. 

on  winter  habits  of  Chipmunk*,  jfta. 

on  Deer  killed  by  Lynx,  69a. 

on  Fisher  killing  Marten,  938. 

on  habits  of  Fisher,  935. 

on  voice  of  Fisher,  931. 

on  weight  of  Fisher,  937. 

on  amusements    of    Flying -iquiricl, 
445 

on  mother-love    in    Flying -squirrel, 
44a-44J- 

on  nursing  of  Flying-iquinel,  44a. 

on  range  of  Flying-squirrel,  440. 

on  speed  of  Flying-squirrel,  445. 

on  petenial  instinct  of  Hare,  6y>. 

on  Jumping-mouae,  591. 

on  food  of  Jumpng-moute,  597. 

on  speed  of  Jurriping-mouae,  595. 

on  storage  of  Jumping-mouae,  597. 

on  young  of  Jumping-mouie,   595- 
S94- 

on  captivt  Kit-fox,  704. 

on  food  01  i.ynx,  68y 

on  Lynx  killed  by  Por:up=ae,  690. 


%^ 


Synoptic  Index 


128A 


Audubon   (John    Jtrnw)  and   BKhnuui 
(Rev.  John)  {ConHnued). 
on  Lynx  kiUinit  Deer,  69a. 
on  Mink  catrhing  trout,  883. 
on  mating  of  Mink,  877. 
00  food  of  Mole-shrew,  iis8. 
on  young  o{  Mole-ihrew,  1124. 
on  Otter  tildes,  8ji. 
00  Porcupine  girdling,  6ta. 
on  Porcupine  home-range,  606. 
on  Porcupine  numben,  609. 
on  Porcupine  repelling  foe,  616. 
on  Porcupine  voice,  609. 
on  Raccoon  and  com,  1085. 
on  Raccoon  and  turtle,  lojj. 
on  Raccoon  and  water,  ioa6. 
on  neit  of  Star-noted  Mole,  1140. 
on  blood  lust  of  Weasel,  361,  850. 
on  Weasel  climbing  tree,  854. 
on  good  service  of  Weasels,  851. 
on  home-range  of  While-tailed  Deer, 

74. 
on  imperfect  eye-sight  of  White-tailed 

Deer,  84. 
on  locked  antkn  of  3  White-tailed 

Deer,  83. 
on  mating  of  White-uiled  Deer,  105. 
on  number  of  fawns  of  White-tailed 

Deer,  96. 
00  leproductive  age  of  White-tailed 

Deer,  97. 
oases   segregation   of   White-tailed 

Deer,  96. 
on  submerged  buck  of  White-tailed 

Deer,  103. 
on  voice  of  White-tailed  Deer,  86. 
on  nest  of  Wolverine,  949. 
00  travels  of  a  Wolverine,  948. 
on  weak  eyes  of  Wolverine,  960. 
00  hibernation  of  Woodchuck,  4*7- 

4*8. 
on  mother-love  of  Woodchuck,  446. 
on  young  of  Woodchuck,  417. 
Austin,  Mary,  on  hawk  and  Badger  co 
operation,  ico8. 
on  the  Coyote's  way  of  bunting,  800. 
on  snow-blind  Wolverine,  960. 
Austral  Zone,  19,  so,  ai. 
Awaakees  or  Wapiti,  37. 

DACHMAN,    Rev.    John,   D.D..  co- 
■"    author,    with     Audubon,    of     the 


"Quadrupeds  of  North  America,"  set 
Auduboa  and  Bachman. 
Backhouse,  James,  on  Wolf  lek,  780. 
Badger,     Common,     of     America,     PI 
LXXXIV,  p.  1000.     LXXXV.  p.  1008. 
biography,  names,  tixe,  995;  weight, 
colour,    races,    life  history,    range, 
996;   Range  Map  53,  997;  home- 
range,  in  Manitoba,  environment, 
998;  paws  (fig.),  abundance,  999; 
social   amusements,    1000;    inter- 
communication, mating,  1001;  ges- 
Ution,    dens,    hole    (fig.),    young, 
speed,   1003;    habits,   1004;    as  a 
fighter,   1C05;    winter  sleep,  food, 
1006;   Scalology    PI.    LXXXV  p. 
1008.     Badger  and  Skunk,  friend- 
ships, Badger  and  Coyote,   1007; 
Badger  and  lost  child,  1008;  use  to 
man,  fur  returns,  1009. 
Badger,     Thickwood,    see     Woodchuck. 

998. 
Bagg,  Dr.  CUnton  L.,  on  Wolves  in  New- 
foundland, 753. 
Bagster,  C.  B.,  on  Moose  in  P.  E.  Id.,  148. 
Bailey,  Vernon,  on  Badger  home-range 
999- 
on  Bear  trees,  1061. 
on  big  Brown-bat  eaten   by  homed 

owl,  n8i. 
on  Chipmunk  at  Turtle  Mt.,  339. 
on  Fr.  Ground-iquirrel  eating  flesh. 

ars- 
on culling  of  Grasshopper-mouse,  486. 
00  food  of  Grasahopper-mouse,  489. 
on  habits  of  Grasshopper-mouse,  488. 
on  hauntsof  Grasshopper-mouse,  486. 
on  range  of  Grasshopper-mouse,  485. 
on  nest  of  Jumping-mouse,  592,  599. 
on  food  of  Least  Vole,  537. 
on  Manh-shrew,  11 15. 
on  Microtus  group,  517. 
on  sub-genus  Pedomys,  533. 
on  food  of  Prairie  Deennouse,  504. 
on  range  of  Prairie  Deennouse,  499- 

on  sociability  of  Prairie  Deermouse, 

500. 
on  home-life  of  Raccoon,  1019. 
on  home-range  of  Raccoon,  1016. 
on  Manitoba    form    of    Red-backed 

Vole,  S09. 


li 


1226        Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 


\1 


Bailey,  Vemon  (Continued). 

on  Prairie  form  of  Red-badced  Vole, 

S»3- 
on  range  of  Red-backed  Vole,  508. 
on  food  of  Rich.  Ground-squirrel,  389. 
on  Richardson  Shrew  in  Minnesota, 

1 108. 
on  range  of  Star-nosed  Mole,  1137. 
on  burrow  of  Striped  Ground-squir- 
rel. 399- 
on  food  of  Striped  Ground-squirrel, 

404-409. 
on  lizard-eating  of  Striped  Ground- 
squirrel,  405. 
on  range  of  Striped  Ground-squirrel, 

395- 
on  stomach     contents     of     Striped 

Ground-squirrel,  407. 
on  voice  of  Striped  Ground-squirrel, 

403. 
on  winter  life   of   Striped    Ground- 
squirrel,  413. 
on  breeding    age    of    Wolves    and 

Coyotes,  799. 
on  pairing  of  Wolves,  757. 
on  killing  Wolves,  787. 
Baillie-Grohman,  W.  A.,  on  Caribou  life- 
belts, 200. 
on  Wapiti  battle,  64. 
Baird  Mouse,  see  Deermouse,  Prairie. 
Baird,  Spencer  Fullerton,  on  weight  of 
Common  Shrew,  1094. 
on  family  life  of  Fisher,  930. 
Baker,  A.  B.,  on  Blackbear  breeding  in 
captivity,  1063. 
on  reprobate  Blackbear  cub,  1073. 
on  reprobate  Blackbear  mother,  1073. 
on  captive  Grizzly  breeding,  1045. 
Baker,  Dr.  Frank,  on  Buffalo  census,  300. 

on  parturition  of  Buffalo,  377. 
Bangs,  Outram,  on  Least  Weasel,  858-859. 
on  environment  of  Star-nosed  Mole, 

"39- 
on  range  of  Star-nosed  Mole,  1137. 
Barber,  Charies,  on  Wapiti  in  Manitoba, 

47- 
Barren-ground  Bear,  1035. 
Barren-ground  Caribou,  1G9, 191, 192. 
Barton,  A.  S.,  on  Buffalo  in  Manitoba, 
1883,  356. 
on  Coyote  den,  796. 
on  Greyhound  Coyote,  810. 


Barton,  A.  S.  {Continued). 

on  habits  of  young  Coyote,  798. 

on  migration  of  Coyotes,  799. 

on  [>atemal  instinct  of  Coyote,  796. 

on  Coyote  storage,  804. 

on  "Three-legged   Terror,"   Coyote, 

810. 
on  habits  of  Jumping-mouse,  604. 
on  fluctuation   of  Little   Chipmunk, 

3<59- 
on  mating  of  Prairie-hare,  663. 
on  parasites  of  Prairie-hare,  670. 
on  Prairie-hare  range,  658. 
on  Prairie-hare  young,  664. 
on  pile  of  Rabbit-bones,  651. 
on  speed  of  Red-fox,  736. 
on  Rich.    Ground-squirrel   in   Feb., 

384. 
on  Skunk  dens  in  maish,  973. 
Barton,  Dr.  B.  S.,  on  Elk  in  Pennsylvania, 

45. 
on  name  "Wapiti,"  4. 
on  torpor  of  Jumping-mouse,  609. 

Bat,  Big  Brown,  or  Big  Brown-bat. 

biography,  names,  size,  11 77;  head 
(fig.),  1148;  weight,  colour,  1177; 
races,  life-history,  distribution,ii78; 
Range  Map  66,  11 79;  home-range, 
environment,  1178;  breeding,  food- 
habits,  enemies,  1180;  great  horned- 
owl,  house-flyer,  and  Rafinesque, 
vermin  on,  1181;  hibemant,  1183. 

Bat,  Blunt-nosed,  see  Bat,  Little  Brown. 

Bat,  Carolina,  see  Bat,  Big  Brown. 

Bat,  Great  Northern,  or  Hoary-bat. 

biography,  names,  size,  1191;  head 
(fig.),  1148;  teeth  (fig.),  119a; 
colour,  1 191;  life-history,  distribu- 
tion, 1193;  Range  Map  68, 1193;  in- 
dividual range,  environment,  119a; 
time  of  night,  XI94,  1195;  lurking 
place,  voice,  unsociable,  rut,  1195; 
gestation,  young,  migration,  1196; 
travelling  with  swallows,  powers, 
1197;  visit  Bermudas,  habits,  1198; 
its  appeal  to  admiration,  11 99, 

Bat,  Hoary,  see  Bat,  Great  Northern. 

Bat,  Little  Brown,  or  Little  Brown-bat 

biography,  names,  1147;  size,  colour, 

head  to  compare  with  others  (fig.), 

X148;    compared  with   subulatui, 

1148,    1163;     races,    7148;     life- 


Synoptic  Index 


Wsfwy,  range,  1150;  Range  Map 
«'3.  "49;  environment,  lodability 
night,  voice,  1150;  mating,  gesto- 
hon,  1159;  young,  parturition, 
1153:  habits,  powers,  senae-power, 
"54;  sense-bodies,  1157;  flight, 
1158;  abnormal  noisy  fli^t,  speed, 
food,  1159;  toilet,  sleeping,  strange 
unmumty,  nfc;  migration  and  hi- 
bemation,  1161;  enemies,  parasites. 
ii6a.  ' 

Bat,  Red,  or  Red-bat. 

bi^phy,  names,  size,  1183;  head 
(fig),  rr48;  colour,  1183;  races, 
We-lustory,  range,  1184;  Range 
Map  67,  1185;  environment,  socia- 
bility, mating,  coitiwi  in  air,  breed- 
wg  in  Texas,  1186;  gestation, 
young,  X187;  mother-love,  habilii, 
n88;  as  House-bat,  1189;  migrant, 
ir89,  1197;  powers,  1190. 
Bat,  Say,  or  Say  Bat. 

compared  with  Little  Brcwn-baL 
1x48,  1x63;  head  (fig.),  1148;  bi. 
ography,  names,  races,  life-history, 
range,  1163;  Range  Map  64, 1164: 
habits,  1x65.  ' 

Bat  scale  of  aepuscukrity,  XX73. 
Bat,  Serotine,  see  Bat,  Big  Brown. 
Bat,  Silvery,  or  Silvery-bat 

biography,  names,  size,  colour,  xx66- 
•kuU  (fig),  XX67;  head  (fig),  X.48I 
Ufe-history,   range,   in   Manitoba, 
1567;   Ranje  Map  65,  1x68;  en- 
vironment, xx67;  individual  range, 
voice,  gregarious,  rut,  XX69;  gesta- 
tion, XX70;  nesting  in  crow's  nest, 
young,  xx7i;  habits,  twi%ht  table, 
crepuscularity,    xi7a;     Bat    time 
table,  battery  of  thoioands  of  Bats, 
"73i    Bats  exterminate  moaqui- 
toes,    X174;    swinuning,   enemies, 
homed-owl,  moonh'ght,  departure, 
1175;  migration,  route,  iij6, 1107. 
Battery  or  Bat-roost   of   thousands  at 

Seneca  Point,  1x73. 
Bay-lynx,  679. 

;;         t*a  (%).  679. 
speed  of,  688. 
Bear,  Admiralty  Ids.,  1035. 
Barren-ground,  X035. 
"     Black,  see  Blackbear. 


1««7 


Bear,  Brown,  105a. 

Cinnamon,  xoca. 
"    Dall's,xo3s. 
"     Grizzly,  see  Grizzly-bear. 

Kadiak  Brown,  X035. 

Kenai  Ids.,  1035. 
"     Kidder's,  1035. 
"     Peninsular,  X03S. 
"    Sitka,  X03S. 
"     YeUow,  xosa. 
J**^*  Scatology,  PI.  XCK,  p.  xo86. 

T"      ?•  ^•'  °''  8™b-eating  of  Striped 
Ground-squinel,  404. 
on  mouse-eating  of  Striped  Ground- 
squirrel,  406. 

biography,  names,  size,  weight,  447; 
colour,  compared  with  European. 
nuM,     tails     (figs.),    life-history, 
.«n«e,  448;   Range  Map  as,  449; 
m  Manitoba,  Henry's  fur  returns, 
450;   numbers,  4Si-45a;   environ- 
ments,   home-range,    dam,    453; 
select  smaU  stream,  dam  section 
(fig).  454;  perpetual  vigilance,  no 
stakes,  no  logs,   Yancey  Beaver, 
455;    Yancey  Ponds  (figs.),  456- 
457, 459;  sise  of  dams,  456;  docks, 
457;     canals,    457-458;     70-foot 
canals,  459;  burrows,  bank  Beaver, 
wash,  460J   3  canals  (figs.),  46X; 
BMver  burrow  (fig.),  46a;    bank 
lodge  (fig.),  463-463;   false  lodge. 
J«ihktion,  46a;  lodge,  463;  chip 
(fig),  food,  464;  felling  trees,  464- 
46s;  aspen  cut  (fig.),  466;  storage, 
407;  in  working,  intercommunica- 
tion, diving  (fig.),  mud-pies,  468; 
f«t  (figs),  469;  castor,  woridng 
(figs.),  sociables,  470;   musk-bog, 
Ufe,  nest,  young,  471;  father,  Yel- 
lowstone Park,  47a;  outcasts,  47a- 
473;  enemies,  473;  and  Muskrat, 
and  ant-hills,  and  blackbirds,  474- 
mtelligence,    speed,    diving,    475- 
sanitation,  disease,  popular  errors 
about,  476;   scatology.  Pi.   XLV, 
P-  6sa;   uses,  fur  returns,  restora- 
tion,   477;    emblem    of    Canada, 
478. 

Bedaon  Buffalo  herd,  498. 


■)'f 


1228        Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 


Bedford,  Duchen  of,  on  diieaie  of  Deer, 

9«- 
Bedford's,  Duke  of,  Buffalo  herd,  a<So. 

on  Wapiti  antlen  (fig.),  $6,  57. 
Belette  9i  loi  ^e  queue  or   Long-tailed 

Weasel,  865. 
Belette  de  Bonaparte  or  Short-tailed  Wea- 
sel, 840. 
Belette,  la  Petite,  or  Least  Weasel,  858. 
Bell,  Dr.  Gordon,  killing  Bear  in  water 
1078. 
on  Least  Weasel  range,  860. 
on  young  Muskrat,  550. 
on  Rabbit  plague,  643. 
Bell,  Thomas,  on  British  Shrew,  1108. 
on  Crossopus,  1115. 
on  Little  Weasel  of  Great  Britain, 
863. 
Bell,  Dr.  Robert,  on  Beaver  range,  450. 
on  Flying-squirrel  range,  440. 
on  Geology  of  Manitoba,  3. 
on  range  of  Little  Chipmunk,  367. 
on  Moose  change  of  range,  150. 
on  fertility  of  North-west,  580. 
on  Porcupine  numbers,  608. 
on  range  of  Star-nosed  Mole,  1137. 
Bemis,  W.  E.,  on  play  of  Hare,  tag. 

on  Moose  calves  hiding,  167. 
Berrendos  or  Antelope,  aia,  314. 
Bete  puante  or  Skunk,  966. 
Biche  or  Wapiti,  37. 
Bicknell,  E.  P.,  on  Porcupine  noises,  609. 

on  Porcupine  stupidity,  613. 
Bierstadt,  F.,  large  Moose  antlers,  158. 
Big  Brown-bat,  see  Bat,  Big  Brown. 
Bishop,  Dr.  L.  B.,  discoverer  of  a  new 

Rabbit,  653. 
Bison,  American,  see  Buffalo,  American. 
Bison  (genus),  347. 
"     bison,  347,  355. 
"         "     athabascx,  350. 
Blackbacked  Shrew,  see  Shrew,  Richard- 
son. 
Black-bat,  see  Bat,  Silvery. 
Blackbear,  American,  PI.  XCII,  p.  1054; 
XCUI,  p.  1063;  XCIV,  p.  1063;  XCV, 
p.  1063;    XCVI,  p.  io6a;    XCVII,  p. 
1063;    XCVm,   p.   1074.    XCDC,   p. 
1086. 
biography,  names,  size,  1053,  1053; 
weight,  1053;   colour,  1053,  1054; 
paws    (fig.),    1053;     kinds,    life- 


history,  range,  1055;  Range  Map 
56,  1057;  abundance,  1055-1056; 
fluctuations,  1056;  home-range, 
migration,  1058;  trails,  1058-1060; 
sociability,  intercommunication, 
1060;  bear-treirs,  1060-1063;  upen 
with  cktw  marks  (fig.),  mating, 
1063;  bear  storage,  winter-den- 
ning, 1064;  breeding,  1066;  ges- 
tation, young,  mastology  of  Black- 
bear  (fig.),  size  of  young,  1067; 
number  of  young,  1068;  develop- 
ment of  jroung,  1068-1069;  training 
of  young,  1069-1070J  spring,  1070; 
family  life,  1071;  little  Bear  lost, 
1071-1073;  troubles  of  another  lit- 
tle Bear,  1073-1073;  Bear  crimes, 
1073;  summer  life,  the  father,  dis- 
position, 1074;  intelligence,  X075; 
a  mischief-maker.  Bear  po«e>  ;.fig.), 
1076;  strange  inddenb,  climber, 
1077;  practical  joker,  swimmer, 
wallower,  1078;  paw  print  (fig.), 
1079;  doping,  food,  1080;  arum 
eaten  by  Bears,  1081;  ants  eaten  by 
Bears,  1083;  wasps  eaten  by  Bears, 
1083;  fruit  eaten  by  Bean,  canni- 
balism by  Bears,  1084;  Scatology, 
PI.  XCK,  p.  1086.  Bear-tracks 
(fig.),  1085;  spring  advent,  meat, 
1086;  value.  Bear  poses  (fig.),  1087. 

Blackbear  biting  own  paws,  33. 

Black  Buffalo-runner  or  Carberry  Wolf, 

775- 
Blackburn,  W.  H.,  on  Wolf  pups,  760. 
Black-cat,  see  Fisher. 
Black-footed  Ferrets  paired,  847. 
Black-foz,  name,  in  some  parts,  of  Fisher, 

93°- 
Blacktail,  see  Mule-deer. 
Blacktail,  Rocky  Mountain,  see  Mule-deer. 
BlacktaUed  Weasel,  see  New  YoA  Weasel. 
Blackwell,  J.,  on  Blackbear  in  mischief, 

1076. 
Blain  &  Purdy,  freak  antlers  of  Mule-deer 

(fig.),  123. 
Blair,  Dr.  W.  Reid,  on  Rabbit  plague,  646, 

647. 
Blaireau  d'Amerique  or  Badger,  995. 
Blake,  Prof.  F.  L.,  on  twilight  at  Toronto, 

117a. 
Blarina  (genus),  11 16. 


1_ 


Synoptic  Index 


Bkrina  brewcauda,  mfi,  my,  xnp. 
„  "       tloga,  1117,  "19- 

^  ^^        cuolinensis,!!!;,  iiig 

u  ','.        "»np«ct«,  H17,  ,1x9. 

hulophaga,  1117,  mg. 

Blue-foMS  on  PribUof  Ids.,  710 
Blunddl,  C.  E.,  on  British  Badger's  play, 

Blwit-nosed  Bat.  see  Bat,  Little  Brown. 
Bobcat,  see  Lynx. 

Boger,  H.  W.  O.,  on  last  Buffalo  in  Mani- 
toba,  358. 

on  Mink  going  off  with   mallard 
98a.  ' 

Bog-lemming  PI.  XXXK,  p  506;  XLV 
p.  65a. 
biography,  names,  size,  colour,  558- 
races,  life-histoiy,  range,  560;  Range 
Map  3a,  559;  habits,  560. 
Bog-mouse,  see  Bog-lemming. 
Booth,  E.  T.,  on  pack  of  Weasels.  844. 
Boreal  Zone,  17, 19,  ai. 
Bos  bison,  347. 

Boscowitz,  D.  A.,  on  Ermine  maritet,  8«7: 
assistance  from.  x.  ->   j/> 

Bounding  Blacktail.  see  Mule-deer 
EovidsE  (Family),  947. 
Breckenridge.  H.  M.,  on  Grizriy  in  N. 

Dakota,  1038. 
Brairo  or  Badger,  995. 
Bray,  J.  H.  G.,  on  raising  kid  Antelopes. 

»36- 
Brewster,  William,  on  carnivorous  Chio- 
ttunks,  355.  *^ 

on  Chipmunks  climbing,  353. 
on  Rabbit  swimming,  637. 
on  a  Red-squirrel  not  camivoroua. 

3»a- 
on  Red-squirrel  pairing,  313. 
Brodie,  W.  G.  A.,  on  Red^uirrel,  311. 

on  Skunk  aquatics,  985. 
Brwidgeest,  J.  T.,  on  Antelope  at  White- 
water, Man.,  815. 
Brown,  Arthur  Erwin,  on  Griady  dimD- 

mg,  1046. 
Brown-bat,  Big,  see  Bat,  Big  Brown. 
Brown-bat,  Little,  see  Bat,  Little  Brown. 
Brown-bear,  105a. 

Brown,  M.,  on  record  hons  of  Bcffalo. 
348.  ^ 

Brown,  Russell,  on  Badger  pair,  1001. 


1820 

Bniner,  L.wrence,  on  Fr.  Ground-wiuiirel 
eating  mice,  378. 
on  Mouse  killed  by  Ground-squirreL 
406. 
B^,  Dr.  George,  on  Geology  of  Manito- 

■».  7i  8. 
Buffalo,  American,  or  Bison,  PI.  XXH  d 
847;    XXIII,  p.  a6o;    XXIV,  p.  a,r 
XXV,  p.  87,;  XXVI,  p.  285;  XXVIL 
p.  »8s;    XXVIII,  p.   ago;  'icXIX.  7 
a9o;XXX,p.a95;XXXi:p!lor'^ 
biography,  names,   947;    character^ 
347,  348;   size,  head,  horns,  348; 
normal  horns  (figs.),  freak  horns 
(figs),  375;    robe,  849,  350,  383; 
weight,    a49;     colour,    349,    350- 
white  Buffalo,  races,  history,  aso: 
earikat   portrait    (fig.),   853,    853; 
hfe-history,  range,  853;  Range  Map 
»o,355;  m  Manitoba,  853-858;  en- 
vironment,  858;    Map  n,  forests, 
*"^>  357;    andent  numbers,  359- 
rate  of  increase,  a6i;   migrations,' 
361-867;  Map  18,  of  migrations, 
364;      enemies,     blizzards,     367; 
Wolv     prairie-fires,  blind  Buffalo^ 
370;  bogs,  Indians,  371;   river  ice, 
'7I-373:    life-history,  cow  leader, 
374;     clannish,    876;     gestation, 
labor,  calf,  877;  the  fatheriy  father. 
Wolves  and  calf,  aj8;  the  motheriy 
mother,  879,  a8o;  calves  hide,  380- 
381;   spring  life,  a8i;    buU  (fig.), 
persistent  caif  (fig.),  883;   Beavei 
robe,  850,  383;  cowbiids,  buffalo- 
birds,  883,  884,  385;  the  wallow, 
885;     rubbing,    886;     sanitation, 
amusements,  mating,  987;    polyg- 
amy, combats,  old  buU,  888;   poU- 
tics,  a89;    bull  and  Wolves,  890- 
391;    autumn  life,  age,  891;    ex- 
termination,   898;    the  slaughter, 
393;  in  the  70's,  394;  last  of  south 
herd,  894,  895    896;   north  herd, 
396;   in  the  80's,  in  Canada,  897; 
domestication,  Bedson  herd,  898: 

anTu'"l,'99  (fi8'>'  '^'-'^sl 
Allard  herd,  Buffalo  Wool  Com- 
pany, 899;  census,  300;  service  to 
"an.  301;  his  monument,  Buffalo 
Tails,  30a;  story  of  Plains  (fie.). 
303.  *" 


m 


1280        Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 


'fA 


Buffalo-runner,  same  as  Gray-wolf,  749. 

Buffalo-wolf,  same  as  Gny-wolf,  749. 

Buffalo,  Wood,  350. 

Buffalo  Wool  Company,  399. 

Bunn,  R.  N.,  on  Buffalo  killed  by  blis- 

zards,  367-369. 
Bumham.  J.  B.,  on  Bear  tracks,  1059. 
Burroughs,  John,  on  Chipmunk  numben, 
34a. 

on  sociability,  344. 

on  Weasel  attacking  man,  853. 

on  Weasel  den,  847. 

on  Weasel  family  life,  846,  849. 

on  storage  by  Weasel,  853. 
Burrowing  owl  and  Rich.  Ground-squir- 
rel, 391. 
Burrows  figured: 

Badger,  1003. 

Be»ver,  459,  461,  463. 

Coyote,  796. 

Deermouse,  503. 

Fox,  716. 

Mole-shrew,  1130,  1131,  1133. 

Muskrat,  S4S,  546,  548. 

Pocket-gopher,  569,  570,  573,   574, 

576,  S77- 

Red-squirrel,  339,  330. 

Rich.  Ground-squirrel,  386,  389. 

Striped  Ground-squirrel,  399,  400. 

Woodchuck,  433. 
Bush-rabbit,  see  Rabbit,  Snowshoe. 
Byers,  W.  N.,  on  home-range  of  Antelope, 

3l6. 

on  numbers  of  Antelope,  330. 

OABEZ  on  Buffalo  in  Texas,  351. 
^^    Cabra  or  Antelope,  309. 
Cabrie  or  Antelope,  309. 
Cabrit  or  Antelope,  809. 
Cadham,  Dr.  Fred.  J.,  on  fighting  Musk- 
rat.  553- 
CadLam,  J.  H.,  on  Prairie-hare  and  doss, 
668. 

on  Prairie-hare  in  Manitoba,  657, 658. 

on  Rabbit  plague,  643. 

on  Rabbit  years,  641. 
Calder,  A.,  freak  Moose  antlers  (fig.),  156. 
Calling-mouse,  see  Gnjshopper-mouse. 
Cameron,  W.  F.,  freak  auUers  of  Mule- 
deer  (fig.),  133. 

Campagnol  de  Drununond,  515. 
Campagnol,  petit,  or  Little  Vole,  533. 


Campagnol  rouge  or  Red-backed  Vole, 

soft- 
Canada-jay  and  Moose,  166. 
Canada  Lynx,  see  Lynx. 

"       Marmot,  see  Woodchuck. 

Otter,  see  Otter. 
"        Porcupine,  see  Porcupine. 
"       Stag,  see  Wapiti. 
Canadian  Flying-«quirrel,  see  Flying-squir- 
rel, C;'  'adian. 
Canadian    Grouse  or  Spruce   Partridge, 

prey  of  Lynx,  689. 
Canfield,  Dr.  C.  A.,  on  Antelope  shedding 
horns,  333. 
on  small  home-range  of  Antelope,  316. 
Canis  (genus),  749. 
"     (genus)  compared  with  Vulpes,  706. 
"     albus,  753. 
"     arsipus,  703. 
"     ater,  753. 
"     cagottis,  793. 
"     depticus,  793. 
"     estor,  793. 
"     frustror,  973. 
"     goldmani,  793. 
"     impavidus,  793. 
"     latrana,  789,  791,  793. 
"  "      nebracensis,  791,  793. 

"  "      texensis,  791,  793. 

"      lestes,  791,  793. 
"     macrotis,  703. 
"     mearnsi,  793. 
"     mexicanus,  749,  753. 
"     microdon,  793. 
"     muticus,  703. 
"     neomexicanus,  703. 
"     nubilus,  7SO,  753. 
"     occidentalis,  750,  753. 
"     ochropus,  793. 
"     pambasileus,  753. 
"     peninsulas,  793. 
"     rufus,  753. 
"     texensis,  793. 
"     velox,  700,  701,  703. 
"         "     hebe,  701,  703. 
"     vigilis,  793. 
Carcajou,  see  Wolverine. 
Caribou,  Woodland  or  American  Rein- 
deer, PI.  X,  p.  187;  XI,  p.  196;  xn,  p. 
196,  xm,  p.  306. 

biography,  187;  names,  187, 190, 191; 
characters,  size,  187;    colour,  life- 


Synoptic  Index 


12S1 


hutoiy,  range,  i88;  Range  Map  8, 
189;     bome-nnge,    histoty,    190; 
kinds,  191,  19a;  anOeiB,  anUen  on 
do«,  19a  (fig».),  19s;  recoitJ  ant- 
len,  193  (fig),  194;  glands,  giega- 
nous,  193;  communication,  voice, 
196;    hoof-cUdts,  197;    hoof,  198 
(ngOi  199;  Miowshoes,  tracks  (fig.), 
nair,  aoo;  swimming,  tobogganing,' 
enemies,    aor;    Lynx,    aoi,   693; 
migration,   aoi;    wanderer,  char- 
acter, aoa;  curious  adventure,  803; 
PM«  (fig.)i  «trange  habits,  food, 
ao4;    scatologjr,  PI.  XIH,  p.  ao6; 
•pring  life,  young,  mating,  polyga- 
mous, 205;  use,  Reindeer  in  Alaska, 
sketches  (figs.).  Re-  ideerin  Labra- 
dor, Reindeer  »ge,  ao6;  Caveman's 
drawing  (fig.),  ao8. 
CaroUna  Bat,  see  Bat,  Big  Brown. 
Carson,  Roland  D.,  on  Coyote  care  of 
young,  797. 
on  dens  of  Wolves,  7(50. 
on  storage  habit  of  Wolves,  769 
on  young  of  Wolves,  761,  76a,  763. 
Carter,  Edwin,  on  abundance  of  Antelope, 

on  Buffalo,  249. 

«i  effect  of  castrating  deer,  lao 

on  freak  Elk  antieis  (fig.),  61. 

on  freak  antlers  of  Mule-deer  (6n.) 

"a.  laj- 
on  3-comered  duel  of  Mule-deer,  130 
on  snagged  Mule-deer  (figj.),   137J 

Cartier,  J.,  discoverer  of  Wapiti,  40. 
Cartwright,  Geo.,  on  7a-point  Caribou 
antlers,  r93. 
on  Wolverine  carrying  trap,  948,  «,, 
on  weight  of  Wolverine,  946. 
Case,  W.,  on  Porcupine  numbers,  608 
Cased  Wolf  or  Coyote,  789. 
Casey,  Dr.,  on  Rabbit  pl^ue,  646 
Casteneda  describes  Buffalo  seen  by  Coro- 

nado,  asa. 
Castor  (goius),  447. 
^'       canadensis,  447.  448,  449- 
«  "  carolinensis,  448,  449. 

^  ^^  f/ondator,  448, 449. 

„  „  P*cificus,  448, 449. 

,  texensis,  448,  440. 

Castoridae  (Family),  437 


Cat,  domestic— tracks  (fig.),  687. 
Catlin,  Geo.,  on  Buffalo  bull  and  Wotvei. 

890.  "^ 

on  Buffalo  battlei,  a88. 
on  Buffalo  calves  hiding,  a8o. 
on  Buffalo  non-migratory,  a6a. 
on  number  of  Buffalo  killed,  397 
on  wiillD,vi  of  Buffalo,  885. 
on  family  life  of  Grizzly,  1044. 
CWtoo,  John  Dean,  on  size  of  Acapuloo 
Deer,  69, 

on  eye  of  Antelope,  aa8. 
on  food  of  Antelope,  835. 
00  growth  of  Antelope's  horns,  aaa 
00  .'eaping  powers  of  Antelope,  a34! 
on  protective  odouia  of  Antelope,  aar 
on  weeping  of  Antelope,  aag. 
on  toe-glands  of  Caribou,  193. 
on  antler  substance  of  Deer  60 
on  antlered  does,  80.  ' 

on  Deer  disease,  91,  9a. 
on  Moose  monogamy,  175. 
on  antlers  o'.  Mule-deer,  135,  156. 
on  hu  low  estimate  of  Mule-deer  char- 
acter,  r35. 

on  persistence  of  tafl-tuft  in  Mule- 
deer,  rai. 

on  polygamy  of  Wapiti,  <;3. 

on  jdze  of  Wapiti,  38,  39." 

on  Whitetafl  and  shedding  of  antlea. 
loa.  ^'^ 

on  Whitetafl  buck  battle,  ro8. 

on  fattening   power   of   acorns    oo 

Whitetafl,  104. 
on  rut  of  Whitetafl,  105. 
on  weaning  of  Whitetafl  {una.  loi 
Catesby,  Mark,  on  Deer  bots,  90. 

on  Wapiti,  4a. 
Cattalo,  a99;  (figs.)  cow,  a8a;  calf,  283. 
Caw-quaw  or  Porcupine,  605. 
Cerf  de  Viiginie  or  Whitetafled  Deer,  68 
Cerf  mulct  or  Mule-deer,  114. 
Cerf  or  Wapiti,  37. 
Cervidaj  or  Deer  Famfly,  37. 
Cervus  (genus),  37. 

anadensis,  37,  43. 
elaphus  canadensis,  37,  43. 
hemionus,  114. 
merriami,  40,  43. 
nannodes,  40,  43. 
occidentalis,  40,  43. 
tarandus  caribou,  187. 


I 


\  m 


1*88       Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 


.IM 


m 


Cenrus  Titginiutui,  68. 

Chamberiain,   Montague,   on    jroung  of 

Canada  Lynx,  684. 
Oiainplain,  Samuel  de,  his  poitiait  of 

Guu)-pah  or  Beaver,  447. 

Chapman,  Frank  M.,  on  range  of  Wolvea 

In  Florida,  753. 
Charleaon,  J.  S.,  on  Flying-aquirrel  eaten 
by  owl,  443. 
on  Hoary-bat  with  4  young,  11 96. 
on  Least  Weasel  range,  860. 
on  Marten  range,  903. 
on  Raccoon  near  Bnuidon,  1013. 
on  spring  advent  of  Striped  Ground- 
squirrel,  398. 
Charlevoix  on  Elan,  147. 
Chat  or  Canada  Lynx,  677. 
Chauve-souris   aigentft    or    Silveiy-bat, 

1 166. 
Chauve-souris  bninne  or  Big  Brown-bat, 

1177. 
Chauve-aou  i  brunette  or  Little  Brown- 
bat,  J147. 
Chauve-souris  de  Say  or  Say  Bat,  1163. 
Chauve-souris    grisonnfc    ou    grise    or 

Hoary-bat,  1191. 
Chauve-souris  rouge  or  Red-bat,  1183. 
Chee-say  or  Canada  Lynx,  677. 
Cheever,  Mrs.  H.  Durant,  on  Wolves  in 

New  Brunswick,  753. 
Cheney,  A.  N.,  on  Mink  killed  by  owl,  889. 
on  big-necked  White-tailed  budt,  106. 
on  young  of  Northern  Whitetail,  91. 
Ches-se-cow-e-pis-kus  or  Little  Chipmunk, 

364- 
Chevreuil  or  Whitetailed  Deer,  68. 
Chicago  Acad,  of  Sd.,  owner  of  large 

Moose  antlers,  158. 
Chicaree,  see  Red-squirreL 
Chinche  or  Skunk,  966. 
Chipman,  C.  C,  Raccoon  on  Peace  River, 

1016. 

Chipmunk,    Common,    Big,    Eastern   or 

Hackee,  PI.  XXXIU,  p.  337;  LXXVI, 

p.  851. 

biography,  names,  size,  337;  colour, 

races,  life-history,  range,  338;    in 

Manitoba,  Map  14,  339;    Range 

Map  15,  340;  environment,  home- 

'*'>8e,  339;    dyed,  non-migratory, 

341;    disappearance,   343;    abun- 


dance, 343-344;  •odability,  344; 
spring  coming,  345;  voice,  346; 
'>»t>°&  347;  breeding,  348;  poses 
(figi  )i  349;  d«>i  pertinadty,  350- 
351;  young,  habits,  35a;  dimbing, 
353;  and  Weasel,  swimming,  food, 
3S4;  blrd-kUler,  354-35$;  •toruge, 
3SSJ  cheek-pouches,  357;  cachet, 
358;  stores,  359-360;  diurnal, 
enemiea,  360;  Weasel,  cuterebn, 
in  autumn,  361;  in  winter,  hiberna- 
tion, seven  sleepers  (fig.),  36a. 
Chipmunk,  Little. 

biography,  r      ss,  364;  size,  portrait 
(fig),  «•  365;    tracks  (fig), 

races,  ..tory,  range,  366;    in 

Manit  .1,  Map  16,  367;  Range 
Map  17,  368;  enviionment,  home- 
range,  367;  non-migratoiy,  abun- 
dance, spring  advent,  369;  mating, 
habita,37o;  nest,food,^)od-bye,37i. 
Chipmunk,  Long-tailed,  see  Cbipmup*', 

Little. 
Chipping  Squirrel,  see  Chipmunk,  L.^ 

mon. 
Christy,  Miller,  on  absence  of  earthworms, 
579- 
on  Buffalo  census,  300. 
on  owls  and  Gophers,  571. 
on  age  of  Hare,  67a. 
on  Little  Chipmunk,  370-371. 
on  Prairie-hare  at  Ft.  Ellice,  658. 
on  Rabbit  plague,  645. 
on  utilizing  Rabbit  plague,  645. 
on  value  of  Silver-fox,  73;. 
on  Skunk  aquatics,  984. 
on  Stipa  spajtea,  aSo. 
on  bird-eating  by  Striped  Ground- 
squirrel,  405. 
Cinnamon  Bear,  1053. 

Blackbear,  xo5a. 
Citelle  ou  I'fcureuil   k   tieize  raies  or 
Striped  Gioimd-squirrel,  394. 
on  r&nueuil  de  Franklin  or  Frank- 
lin Ground-squirrel,  37a. 
on  r£cureuil     de     Richardson     or 
Richardson  Ground-squinel,  380. 
Citellus  (genus),  37a. 
"       franklini,  37a,  374. 
"       richardsoni,  374,  380. 
"      Striped,     see     Ground-squinel, 
Striped. 


Synoptic  Index 


I2SS 


ClteUu.  tridecemlfaettui,  394, 395,  39«. 
»lleni,  39S,  396. 

*»«*•»».  395.  396 

olivMeui,395,396 

P*''Wug,39S,396. 

P****".  395.  396 

n.A  wiK  *««».  395.  396- 

ClaA,  Williwa,  on  sound  ileep  of  Moow. 

X79-  ^ 

00  Wolverine  in  Peace  River  Valley, 
948. 
Clark,  Geo  A.,  freak  Elk  antler  (iig.),  61. 
wcu,  A.  H.,  on  mating  and  bieedine  of 
British  Otter,  8a»-«a4. 
00  Marten  gestation  and  young,  913. 
00  Marten  having  fits,  990. 
on  Weasel  gestation,  848. 
Collins,  Dr.  J.  W.,  on  foal  becoming 
mother,  97,  183. 

£°'Mgy«.  J»ck,  on  Coyote  drive,  794. 
Commensalism,  33. 
Condylura  (genus),  1136. 

cristata,  1136,  ,,38. 
nwcioura,  1140. 
Condylure  k  longue  queue  or  Star-nosed 

Mole,  1 136. 
Condjdure  k  museau  itoiU  or  SUr-nosed 

Mole,  1 136. 
Cook,  A.  J.,  on  Chipmunk  and  snake. 

354. 
Cook,  F.  H.,  on  record  Moose  antleis.  i« 
157.  ^  "' 

vinf. ,    R.    Q,   on   damage   by   Rich, 
'■squirrel,  390. 
drew,  see  Common  Shrew. 
,  /"rof.  E.  D.,  on  ferodty  of  Mole- 
«-*PEW,  1134. 

Coi;.in,  Austin,  increase  of  Buffalo  herd. 
a6r.  ^ 

Coionado  discovers  Antelope,  aia 
Cory,  Charies  B.,  on  weight  of  Florida 
Benr,  1053. 

on  weight  of  Florida  Deer,  69 
Coteau  du  Missouri,  7,  9. 
Coues,  Dr.   Elliott,  on  Antelope  along 
Souris,  215.  ^ 

tm  Buffalo  range  in  1874,  456. 

on  origin  of  'Cabrit,'  909. 

on  Chiimittak  at  Pembina,  338. 

00  solid-hoofed  Deer,  83. 

on  Fisher  killing  Coon,  939. 

on  Fisher  eating  beechnuts,  938. 


Coues,  Dr.  Elliott  (ConHnutd). 

00  range  of  Grasshopper-mouse,  485. 

on  Mink  going  off  with  maUaid.  801. 

on  Mink  in  tiap,  890. 

on  Mink  killing  Muskrat,  884. 

on  flushing  a  Pr»irie-haie,  665 

on  Utters  of  Prairie-hare,  664. 

on  range  of  Prairie-hare,  657 

on  unsociability  of  Prairie-hare,  Mi 

on  young  of  Prsirie-hare,  663. 

on  range  of  Red-backed  Vole,  508. 

on  Rich.  Ground-squirrel  eating  flesh, 

on  Rich.  Ground-squirrel  gregarious- 

ne«,384 
on  Rich.   Ground-squirrel   numben. 

383- 
00  duty  of  Rodentia,  409. 
on  Weasel  character,  849. 
on  defective  sight  of  Wolverine,  9«o. 
on  food  of  Wolverine,  964. 
Cowan,  R.  W.,  on  Badger  pair,  looi. 

on  Kit-foz  habits,  70a. 
Cowbinls  and  Buffalo,  a84. 
Coyote,  Prairie-wolf,  or  Brush-wolf,  PI 
^  P-  79^V^.  P-  798;  LXXII, 

P  *'»:  Lxxm.  p-  808:  Lxxiv,  p 

fci4;  LXXV,  p.  814.  *^ 

biography,  names,  789;  size,  789-790: 
distant  view  of  (fig.),  750;  colour, 
790;    races  of,   life-history,    791; 
ange,   home-range,    79a;    Range 
**^P  43.   793;    abundance,   794; 
■odability,       intercommunication, 
795;  mating,  den  (fig.),  796;  young, 
nugration,  797;  tracks  (fig.),  food, 
799;  habits,  cunning,  800;  catching 
Antelope,  8oo-8oa;  catching  Prai 
rie-dogs,sheep-kaiers,8o3;  storage, 
omnivorous,  804;  mange,  805;  hid- 
mg  in  bam,  mentality,  806;  mind- 
reading,  fitting,  808;  speed,  809; 
inadents,  810;  enemies,  mad,  811; 
voice,  814;    hybrids,  killing,  815; 
pelt,  group  of  howling  (Cg.),  816. 

Crame,  Capt.  Dick,  on  pairing  of  tiain- 
<log».7S9- 
«i  Wolves  as  train-dogs,  781. 

C»ne,  Nelson  and  jagmy  Deer,  557. 

Cratogeomys,  563. 

Crawford,  Geo.  Indian  Chief  Mittigwab), 
of  Mattewa,  on  old  Beaver,  453. 


1284        Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 


m 


k 


I: 


Crawford,  Geo.  (Continutd). 

on  cannibalism  of  Blackbear,  1084. 
on  home-range  of  Blackbear,  105& 
on  Fitber  eating  berries,  vj8. 
on  Fisher  killing  Porcupine,  943. 
■ought  by  calf  Moose  for  protection, 

184. 
on  Otter  family  life  and  habits,  8s6. 
on  bleat  of  Whitetail,  106. 
Crawford,  John,  on  Muskrat,  544. 
on  family  life  of  Weasel,  848. 
Crepuscular)^,  Bat  scale  of,  1173. 
Crtte,  Ed.  C,  Lynxes  fighting,  683. 
on  family  life  of  Mink,  883. 
the  man  treed  by  Moose,  184. 
Cricetus  talpoides,  561. 
Crime  among  animals,  31. 
Crosby,  S.  L.,  on  weight  of  Moose,  146. 
Curran,  J.  W.,  on  Chipmunk  swimming, 
354- 
on  Weasel  swimming,  854. 
Cuterebra  in  Chipmunk,  361. 
"        in  Jack-rabbit,  671. 
in  Red-squirrel,  jaa. 
in  Rich.  Ground-squirrel,  301. 
in     Striped     Ground-squind, 
410-413. 
"        in  Vole,  531,  537. 
Cuvier  on  Bat  sense,  1155. 
Cysts  in  Caribou,  183. 
"    in  Hare,  647. 
"    in  Moose,  183-183. 
"    in  Mule-deer,  13^-137. 
"    in  Prairie-hare,  670. 

T~\AI\  fauve  &  queue  blanche  orWhite- 
■*-'    tailed  Deer,  68. 
Dain  fauve  k  queue  noir  or  Mule-deer,  114. 
Darby,  E.  W.,  remarkable  Caribou  antleis 
(fig.),  195. 

sire  of  Coyote,  790. 

Lynxes  in  Winnipeg,  680. 

freak  Moose  antlers  (figs.),  156. 

on  38-inch  Moose  bell  (fig.),  163. 

freak  antlers  of  Mule-deer  (fig.),  133. 

on  colour-variations  of  Wolf,  751. 

on  range  of  Woodchuck,  430. 
Darnell,  J.  K.,  on  Buffalo  mothers,  379. 
Dar^vin,  Charies,  on  earthworms,  578, 585. 

puzzled  by  incurved  horns,  334. 
Davidson,  J.  L.,  on  Porcupine  and  eagle, 
617. 


Dawson,   Dr.   George   M.,    on    Prairie 

steppes,  8. 
Decatui,  S.,  large  Moose  anUers,  155. 
Deer,  BlacktaU,  see  Mule-deer. 

"     killed  by  Lynx,  693. 
Deer,  Mule,  see  Mule-deer. 
Deer.  Scatolo^  of,  PI.  XIII,  p.  306. 
Deer,  Virginian,  or  Whitetoil,  PL  V,  p.  68; 
XIII,  306. 
biography,  names,  general  characters, 
68|  mid-leg  gland  compared  with 
others  (fig.),  andeis  compared  with 
Mule-deer  (fig ),  sixe,  69;  disc  of, 
compared  with  othen  (fig.),  70;  tail 
(fig.),  116;  weight,  70;  colour,  71; 
races,  directive  marks,  73;  (fig.), 
70;  discovery,  life-history,  73;  range. 
Range  Map  5,  75;   in  Manitoba, 
home-region,     74;     environment, 
numbers,  76;    antlers,  78;    antleia 
in  trees  (figs.),  freak  antlers  (figs.), 
antler  gnawed  by  Porcupine  (fig.), 
79;    ntlered  doM,  80;  freak  antlers 
(65gs.),   81;  (fig.),    102;    locked 
antlers  (fig.),  83;    freak  foot,  al- 
binism, 83;    eyesight,   84;   lifting 
head  and  tail  together,  85;  voice, 
86;    enemies,  snow,  87;    Wolves, 
88;    Foxes,  89;    mosquitoes,  etc., 
<li«e«ses,  90;    accidents,   93;  snag 
(fig),  gait,  swimming,  93;  tracks 
(fig*-).  9S;    acatology,   PI.   XHI, 
p.    3o6;    wallows,   94;    salt-licks, 
life  of  doe,  fawns,  96;    foetus  in 
Itio,  97;  life  of  fawn.  98;  life  of 
buck,  loi;   hiding  in  water,  103; 
loves  acorns,  no  social  games,  rut, 
104;     November    madness,    106; 
buck  militant,  107;  battle,  duration 
of  rut,  108;  winter  life,  109;  tama- 
bility,  treacherous  pets,  no;  use  to 
man,  113. 
Deermouse,  Arctic,  PI.  XXXVIII,  p.  499, 
XLV,  p.  653. 
biography,  490;   names,  teeth  (fig.), 
size,  491;    colour,  pouches  (fig.), 
kinds,    life-histoiy,    range,    493; 
Range  Map  37,  493;  environment, 
home-range,  abundance,  sociability, 
intercommimication,   494;    drum- 
ming, voice,  track  (fig.),  nest,  495; 
store-room,      mating,      gestation. 


3««wg.  49«;  nocturnal,  food.  407 
viJue.  enemie..  498;  «..ology.  P l' 
XLV,  p.  65a.  ^" 

Dcennouie,  Nebruka,  505 

Deennou*,  Prtiri,,  p,.  xxXVm,  p.  -,« 

»»n«e,  499;  »bundMce,  todtbUiiy 
voice,  imging,  500;  nutii.s.  bur- 
'o*'.  501;  netting  (fig),  breeding, 
5m;  young,  nocturnd,  food,  501^ 
annibal,  value,  .toragf,  504  "^ 
D~-ou.e.Sho„..«,«,.^;^pp,,. 

DeK^^y  on  Jumpfag-mome  and  young, 
on  game  of  Jumping-mouse,  504 

Dwny,  C.  E,  on  Beaver  robe  of  BufTalo, 

D«cnpt.on.;  three  poinU  of  view,  24 
deWeese  D.^  large  Moo»e  anUe^  ,58 
on  life  of  Moose,  146.  ^ 

Diabolism  of  a  young  Mink,  888. 
Duigram  (fig  Oof  Zone,  and  Fauna^  „. 

^?roi':;^^5f«--o"«'cb. 

on  tailless  Squirrel^  318. 
Dicrostonyx  (genus),  516 
Dimock.  A.  W.,  on  Otter  trapping,  8,8 
Dipodid.  (Family),  587  ^ 

Dippie,  G.  F.,  on  Hoaiy-oat  at  Calgaiy, 

on  Least  Weasel  range,  860 
on  Red-bat  at  Calgary,  1184 

on  Silvery-bat  at  Calgary,  1167. 
Dipus  americanus,  603. 
"      hudaonius,  587. 
mellivorus,  603 
DiMogr.^  of  Antelope,  aa4-„7. 

Sl^'b^r.^osT''"^"""'^**^ 

on  Marten  habits,  9x9. 

on  Otter  family  life,  gas. 

on  Otter  slides,  833. 

on  mating  of  Porcupin.,  6ip. 
"odge,  E.  S.,  on  weight  of  Antelope,  aio 
T.^""  ^  ^"^  "^  Antelope,  aaj. 
IMge.^CoI.  R.  I.  on  va«  BuWherd. 


Synoptic  Index 


1«S5 


Dodge,  Col.  R.  I,  (ConHnu^ 
on  Buffalo  migration,  a63-a«c 
on  Buffalo  bull,  protecting  calf  ajr 
on  Gri«ly  in  BUck  Hill..*,^'  '" 

Doke-«sch  or  Mink,  „;.. 
n!!I??'  "^^  ""  '""S^ty  of  Mare,  66a 
^!^Jl'  J-  ^ .  »»  youn,  wTves  in 
Dthen  or  Muskiat,  538 

''Srbi'„i;°"^"''-<'-'"«'*«^ 

on  abundance  of  Mule-deer  in  Okana- 
gan.  i3«- 

squirrel  numbeis,  375 
on  size  of  Wapiti,  38,  39. 


EASTMAN.  Dr.  Chas.  A.,  on  spring 
*^    ««vent  of  Chipmunk,  346  * 

on  Muskrat  storage,  554. 
Eaton,  H.,  on  numbers  of  Antelope,  aao 
EcureuU  rouge,  ou  de  la  Baie  d-  Hu<^n 
or  Red-squirrel,  307  '""son, 

Ecureuil  volajit  or  Flying-squinel,  437. 
Ed-jer-ay  or  Buffalo,  347  "*' 

Ee-hee-mo  or  Canada  Lyn:^  677. 
Eh-kahg-tchick-kah  or  Wapiti,  ,7 

Elk,  American,  8C-,  Wapiti. 
Elk  or  Olke,  first  use  of  word,  41 
irir  .'°^<*-''o™'d.  see  Wapiti. 
9S  °n  »!*«•«   of  Wolverine, 

Ely.  Dr.  W.W.,  on  castor,  470. 
Emlen,  A  C,  on  fighting  Muskrat  «i 
Enfant  du  diable  or  Skunk,  966       "^' 
Eptesicus  (genus),  1177 

;:         fuscus,  „„,  „78^  „y^ 

„  bahamensis,  1178, 1,79. 
„  "efnardinus,  11 78.  rr  79. 
..      C"bensis,  1178,  1,79. 

osceola,  1178,  1179. 

melanoptenia,        xi7« 
1179. 

miradorensis,  1178,1x79. 


itS6        Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 


I' 


Eptesicus  fuicui  penintuiK,  1178,1179. 

"  "      pfopinquiw,  1178,  1179. 

"         mcUnopt,  1 181. 
Eiethiioa  (genus),  605. 

"        donatum,  605,  te6,  607. 

"         epuanthum,  607. 

"  "  coueri,  607. 

"  "  myopt,  607. 

"  "  nigrcKen*.  607. 

"  pidnum,  606,  607. 
ErethUontida  (Family),  605. 
Erickion,  Chariet,  on  Lynx  killing  Deer, 

69a. 
Ermine,  Large,  lee  Weaiel,  Long-tailed. 
Ermine  of  the  Woods,  &40. 
Es-see-ban  or  Raccmn,  loio. 
E»-see-pan  or  Raccoon,  loio. 
Et-then  or  Caribou,  187. 
Eutamius  (genus),  364. 

"         quadrivittatus,  364,  366,  368. 
"      affinis,  364,  366.  368. 

"  "      borealis,  364,  366,  368. 

"  "      feli«,  364.  366,  368- 

"  "      gracilis,  364,  366,  368. 

"  "      luteiventria,    364,    366, 

368. 

"      neglectu»,364,366.3M- 
"         townsendi,  368. 
Evans,  Col.  W.  P.,  on  speed  of  famous 

Grejrhound,  333. 
Evotomyi  (genus),  506,  517. 
"         brevicaudus,  507. 
"         califomicus,  507. 
"         carolinensis,  507. 
"         caurinus,  507. 
"         dawsoni,  507. 
"  "        alascensis,  507. 

"         gapperi,  506,  507,  508. 
«  "       athabascte,   506,   507, 

508. 

•  "        galei,  506,  507,  508. 

•  "        loringi,  506,  507,  508. 

•  "        ochraceus,    506,    507, 

S08. 
"        rhoadsi,  506,  507,  508. 
"        saturatus,    506,    507, 
S08. 
"        idahoensis,  507. 
"        mazama,  507. 
"        nivarius,  507. 
"        obscurus,  507. 
"        occidentalis,  507. 


Evotomys  orca,  507. 

"        prottus,  507. 

"        ungava,  507. 

"        wimngeli,  J07. 
Exterminating  Ground-squirrels,  393. 

PAMILIES. 

"    Antilocapridc,  S09. 

Bovidc,  347- 

Canidc,  700. 

Castoridte,  447. 

Cervidc,  37. 

Dipodidc,  587. 

Erethizontidc,  605. 

Felida;,  677. 

Gcomyide,  561. 

Leporidie,  631. 

MuridK,  480. 

Mustelidc,  817. 

Procyonidc,  loio. 

Soricids,  1091. 

Sciuridae,  307. 

Talpidc,  1 136. 

Ursidc,  1030. 

Vespertilionidc,  1147. 
Fauna,  Alaskan,  14. 
"      Aleutian,  14. 
*'      Alleghanian,  17,  sa. 
"      Alpine,  14. 
"      Barren-gmund,  14. 
"      Campestrian,  17. 
"      Canadian,  15,  30. 
"      Carolinian,  30. 
"      Greenland,  14. 
"      Hudsonian,  15. 
"      Pacific  Coast,  16. 
"      Sitkan,  i6. 
"      Upper  Sonoran,  30. 
Faunal  Area  defined,  14. 
"        "     Map  3,  18. 
"         "     table  to  accompany  map,  19. 
Faunal  areas  of  America,  14-33. 
"  "    of  Canada,  11. 

"  "    of  Manitoba,  so. 

Faunas  and  Zones  (diagram),  31. 
Fear,  G.  M.,  freak  antlers  of  Mule-deer 

(fig.),   133. 

Felis  pardalis  or  Ocelot,  related  to  Lynx, 

68s. 
Ferrets,  Black-footed,  paired,  847. 
Fiber  fsenus),  517,  538. 

"     macrodon,  539. 


Wfcw  ohioini^  539. 
ocdpiuli.,  539. 

..         P^***"^  S3ft  54". 
nvaUdui,  S39,  54o. 

fw'lT*'  ^"^  •*  Little  Vole 

on  Big  Brown-b.t'.  Hi.  e,  Mfc 
on  •wimming  of  RedtquirreL  .w 

i-AXXV,  p.  ioo8. 

"X^^'  "'""^  9**!  •^.  "right, 
colour    race.,    lifehiitoiy.   nij 

W:    RMge  M.p  50,  ^r^ 

•bundMce.  mating.   ne.t.'^Z.' 
930;    u«ocubmty,   vol4  S{ 

WeS^fiS'''""'^-'"^ 
W,,r^  .*^'  '«'  Coon-llke 
»^'t.934;«nm«l„g,935.,^^ 
etc.,  food,  936;  tndu  (fig.  ^ 
937;     omnivorou.,    imbbit-nmner! 

lynx-kiJler,  deer-killer,  040-  nor™ 
/**aXV,  p.   1008;  itotW  habit 

^"l^S.       ■"  ^"^  Woodchj2k. 

^'^^■^'^^'^^^'XOt.r.  90 
on  Deer  accident,  9a  (fi„  )  TT  '  ^^ 

FUt.hon,edElk.MeMS.i*^''^- 

n^ng,  J,..  H,  bell  on  Cottontail  (fig). 

PI-  J"*^*'oo8e  antlen  (fig.),  ,,6 
Fljdkertail.  «e  Gmund^jS,  gch«d. 

^t.  E.E.,  on  Moce  calling,,,,. 


Syncretic  Index 


1887 

••^Phy,  nwn«,  ri«,  cotour,  437: 
Mat  vet,  race.,  life-hirtorv.  ^i!' 
Jffin..y  with  w^-^.  ,387'  ^<J 

hon«_rw,ge,   abundant,  aodaM.' 
ily.  voice  mating,  nming,  yomg, 

2!-  e„'::±''°7'   ""'-"t.^ 
443,  enemiei,  owl,  trout,  haidinoa. 

443:  food,  and  candle,  444.  ^ 

F«^     *^8*'  paring,  ,00a.   *^'' 
FordjrceG«..L.,onFo,c«h..,„3. 
00  Fo«  cub^  7»«-7»»^^  "^ 

on  haWti  of  LeMt  Weaiel  8^ 

Fouine  or  Marten,  901 
Foutereau  or  Mink,  87a 
Fox,  Blue,  see  Blue-fox.' 
Kit,  «ee  Kit-fox. 

LX.p.744;LXI,     ^^"^P-744; 
Wogpaphy,  etc.,  ^g.  ^.    .. 

t«ntv<.wof  (fig       .rli?;  ir 

fertCsX-ia;  colour,  70^  sS. 
^  .-9;  freak,  of  colo.;;,^; 
We-Ntorv.,«ge.709;R„^jS^^ 

41,  A-       ouuGance,  709;  Individ- 

"^«ng  ,  710;  lodabaity,  «nu,e. 
""'^^'7'7;3:n»ting,  pairing, 

mother  l^xT.^^^^^ 
'^^•.'•^"FofiStinl,^^ 

.^'^LS"""'*  '»-»;  non-migra- 
t07,  .peed,  u«  of  tail,  7a6;  hSt- 

fa«o^(fig.),7,8.t^^^^^'^ 

•"K   73a;     Katology.    733,    (^ 


1238        Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 


'I 


PI.  LV,  p.  734;  hybridity,  enemies, 
734;  diseases,  735;  killed  by  Porcu- 
pine, 734;    tilled  by  Lynx,    690, 
691, 69J;  killed  by  Fisher,  939;  age, 
735;  strange  instances,  fur  returns, 
736;  value  of  fur,  737;  Fox- farm- 
ing for  fur,   738-748;  model  Fox 
yard  (fig.),  74*;    feeding  in  y^rd, 
743;   breeding  in  yard,  744;  profit 
in  yard,  747. 
Franklin    Ground-squirrel,    see  Ground- 
squirrel,  Franklin. 
Franklin,  Sir  John,  on  Eskimo  licking 
presents,  325. 
his  Ground-squinel,  377. 
Fraser,  George,  of  Kildonan. 

on  Badger  and  lost  boy,  1008. 
on  dog  and  Wolf  hybrids,  780. 
on  Wolves  in  Manitoba,  767. 
Fraser,  William  Lewis,  c.  New  York,  on 

young  Wolves  playing  in  water,  779. 
Freidrich,  A.,  recoid  anders  of  Whitetail 

(fig.),  80,  81. 
Fremont,  J.  C,  on  Buffalo  calf  and  Wolves, 
278. 
on  Buffalo  battles,  a88. 
on  numbers  and  destruction  of  Buf- 
falo, 298,  393. 
Friendships  of  animals,  33. 

"  Br.  Badger  and  Fox,  33. 

"  Fox  and  Rabbit,  33. 

"  Badger  and  Coyote,  1008. 

"  Badger  and  Child,  1008. 

"  Squirrel  and  owl,  328. 

GAPPER,  Anthony,  an  English  natu- 
ralist who  discovered  the  Gapper 
Mouse,  506. 
Gaoper  Mouse  or  Red-backed  Vole,  506. 
Garland,  Hamlin,  on  game  trails,  302. 

on  Hare  and  wire  fence,  669. 
Gates,  Mrs.  S.  Young,  on  mad  Coyote,  811. 
Gaufre,  see  Pocket-gopher. 
Gaufre  gris  or  Pocket-gopher,  561. 
Gentry,  T.  A.,  on  Red-squirrel  living  with 

owl,  328. 
Geomyidae  (Family),  561. 
Geomys  buisarius,  563. 

"       tuza,  563. 
Gerbille  du  Canada  or  Jumping-mouae, 

587. 
Gibb,  L.  M.,  record  Moose  antlers,  155. 


Gillette,  C.  B.,  on  insect-eating  of  Striped 
Ground-squirrel,  404-405. 

Gilpin,  J.  B.,  on  horns  of  Caribou,  19a. 

Glis  canadensis,  416. 

Glutton,  see  Wolverine. 

Godman,  John  D.,  on  Otter  slides,  830. 

Goff,  John  B.,  on  Coyote  chasing  Ante- 
lope, 800. 
on  Gopher-work,  576. 
on  catching  Mule-deer  asleep,  134. 

Gomara,  earliest  portrait  of  Buffalo  (A.  D. 

1553)  (fig).  »S».  »53- 
Gopher,  Pocket,  see  Pocket-gopher. 
"       Striped,    see    Ground-squirrel, 

Striped. 
"       Whistling,  see   Ground-squirrel, 

Franklin. 
"       Yellow,     see     Ground-squirrel, 
Richardson. 
Gottschalk,  A.,  on  record  horns  of  Buffalo, 

248. 
Goidd,  G.  H.,  on  Coronado's  discovery  of 

Antelope,  212. 
Grand  Valley,  Man.,  8. 
Grant,  Madison,  range  of  Caribou,  189. 
on  Bear  coming  to  Moose  call,  173. 
on  Yukon  Coyote,  793. 
on  home-range  of  F^er,  928. 
on  Marten  mating,  911. 
on  development  of  Moose  antlers,  159. 
on  Moose  in  Catskills,  149. 
on  rOrignac,  147. 
Grasshopper-mouse. 

biography,  names,  size,  colour,  483; 
skull  (fig.),  teeth  (fig.),  484;  races, 
life-histoiy,  range,  485;  Range  Map 
26,  487;   population,  environment, 
home-range,  voice,  486;   breeding, 
burrows,   with   Perodipus,   habits, 
non-hibemant,   488;    food,   excre- 
ment, trapping,  trades  (fig.),  489. 
Gray-gopher,  see  Pocket-gopher. 
Gray-vole,  see  Vole,  Little. 
Gray-wolf,  PI.  XLVII,  frontispiece  Vol. 
H;    LXII,    p.    750;    LXIII,   p.    754; 
LXIV,  p.  760;  LXV,  p.  770;  LXVI,  p. 
774;  LXVII,  p.  774;  LXVra,  p.  778; 
LXIX,  p.  786. 
biography  of,  names,  749;  size,  size 
of  female,  distant  view  (fig.),  750; 
colour,  750-752;  life-history,  range, 
individual  range,  752;  Range  Map 


Synoptic  Index 


4a,  753;  abundance,  754;  soda- 
,!^'  "S;  niating,  756;  pairing, 
756-757;  life-long  unionr757' 
rawnogamy,  den,  gestation,  young 
760;  maternal  instinct,  761;  growth 
o^  young,  feeding  young,  76a. 
enemies,  763;  education,  764;  W 
toiy,  76s;  habits,  766;  never  at- 
tacks man,  767;  fishing,  food,  768- 

?«wrt,  769;  doping,  voice,  770; 
intercommunication,  smell  power 
odourglands,  771;  Wolf  telephones, 
dub-regBter,  77,;  expns^on  of 
•cora,  expression  of  anger.  77,- 
some  remarkable  Wolves,  774.' 
coumge  of  Wolves,  775;   chivdrj,' 

S'  ^  "'  ^*«>'  "7:  speed! 
77»,  809,  433;  track  described, 
•trength,  778;  swimming,  social 
amusements,  779;  sanitation,  hy- 
bndity,  as  train-dogs,  780;  dogri- 
nfss,  781;  latent  ferocity,  78a: 
™«ses,  7S3;    methods  of  killing 

Ih.L'^T'"*'  '"PP'"^.  785;  fu^ 

wT.Vf''  «J«  of  f«r,  howling 
Wolf  (fig.),  788.  » 

d^?'  ?'i  T  ^  •  '"^"ctionTRein- 
deer  mto  Labrador,  206 

Gndley,  Lee  R.,  on  capture  of  an  old  Fox, 

on  Skunks  fighting,  983. 
Gneye,   Geo     on  cowbird  wintering  « 
Wmnipeg  with  Buffalo,  a84. 
freak  Moose  antlers  (fig),  irg 
on  Rabbit  years,  640 

on  spMd  of  famous  Greyhound,  932 
CnV,?  b    "  ™  Long-tailed  Weasel.  867. 

LXXXIX,  p.  1046;  XC,  p.  1050;  XCI 
P-  »o5o;  XCK,  p.  1086        ^  '         ' 
biography,  names,  1030;  paws  (fig), 
sue    1031;   wei::L,,  colour,   1032' 
stud.es  (fig).  ,033;  fom,.™^,  4: 
history,  range,  1034;  in  Manitoba. 
'034,  1036,  1037;   Range  Map  tc 
1035;     life    stud,es    (fig.),    rdl 
home-range,      abundance,      1038! 
poses  (figs.).  1039;  gestation,  youne 
104a;  young  (fig.),  X045;  new-born 


1239 


(fig.),  1043;  family  life,  ,044;  cap- 

TJ'^t}"^'*^  "^s:  «i«5; 

dimbmg,  food,  denning,  1046- 
*^h  speed,  swimming,  strength.' 
1047;  and  Johnny  Bear,  sanitation. 
1048;     scatology,    PI.    XCIX.    p 

catUe-kiUer,  1049;  passing,  loco 
GriaJy,  dark-dawed,  1035?^      ^ 

passing  away,  1050. 
Groundhog,  see  Woodchuck 
G^d^mouse,  Long-eared,  see  Vole,  Red- 

Ground-mouse,  see  Vole 
Growid-squirrel,  Bushy-toiled  or  Fnwklin. 

Grom,d^uinel,  Frankhn,  or  Gray.  R 
■'""''"  P-  37a. 
bi^phy,  names,  size.  37a;  colour, 
hfe-hatoiy,  range,  in  Manitoba. 
Map  18,  373;  Range  Map  19,  37/ 
environment,  373;  hoLl^^^', 
abundance,  sodabiUty,  spring  £d- 
yent,  37s;  musical  voice,  den,  mat- 

■^*'j'^'"«'  ^76;  speed,  mental- 
ity, dnnks,  food,  377;  flesh-eater. 
377-378;  migratory,  enemies,  win- 
ter-sleep, 379.  ^ 

°Tm^  Richardson,  or  YeUow. 

K^^^'  P-  380;  XLV,  p.  6sa. 

biography  names,  sire,  weight,  colour, 
380,  hfe-histoiy,  range,  in  Mani- 
toba, Map  ao,  38r;  Range  Map  ig. 
374;  environment,  381;  abundance 
38»;  spnng  appearance,  383;  home- 
region,  sodability,  384;  intercom- 
mumcation,  mating,  gestation,  385; 
nesting,  burrow  (fig.),  386-  sea 
tology,  P..  XLV,  p'isaf^oJS 

lood,  388-390;  runways  (fig.).  ,8o- 

dnnks,  enemies,  39,;  trapping, 
autumn  life,  service  to  manf^^ 
how  to  exterminate,  the  short  w 

to  SdlOol  (fig.),  393  "'*'' 

Ground-squirrel,  i3.striped,  PI.  XXXVL 

P-  394;   XLV,  p.  6sa.  -^^»Avi. 

biography,  names,  size,  colour,  ,94. 

«ces,hfe-histo,y,ra„ge,396;Ri^' 

Map  at,  39S;   environment,  num. 


1240        Life-histories  of  Noithern  Animals 


h. 


bc^  397;  sociability,  spring  ad- 
vent, mating,  398;  dens,  etc.,  play- 
ground (fig.),  399;  bunow  (fig.), 
400;  young,  401;  voice,  climbing, 
speed,  mentality,  40a;  upright  pose, 
diurnal,  403;  tenacious  of  life,  404; 
food,  404-409;  insect-eater,  404; 
lizard-eater,  bird-eater,  405;  mouse- 
eater,  cannibal,  406;  summary, 
storage,  407;  never  drinks,  409; 
icatology,  PI.  XLV,  65a;  enemies, 
409;  parasites,  cuterebra  (fig.), 
410;  cases  of  cuterebra,  411-413; 
last  days  on  earth,  41a;  hibernation, 
relation  to  albumen,  413;  relation 
to  man,  415. 
Ground-squirrel,  Striped,  name  also  of 

Chipmunk,  p.  337. 
Ground-squirrel,    Yellow,    see    Ground- 
squirrel,  Richardson. 
Guernsey,  Geo.  F.,  Raccoon  near  Touch- 
wood Hills,  1014. 
on  Prairie-hare  at  Qu'  Appelle,  658. 
Gulo  (genus),  945. 
"     luscus,  945. 
"     luteus,  946,  947. 
"     h3d«us,  946,  947- 
Gunston,  C.  J.,  on  abnormal  antleis  of 

Whitetail,  81. 
Guzman,  discoverer  of  Wapiti,  41. 

UACKEE,  see  Chipmunk,  Common. 
*■  '^    Hahn,  W.  L.,  on  numbers  of  Wood- 
chuck,  4ao. 
Hallock,  Charies,  on  Mink  stealing  fish, 

893- 
Hampleman,  Lee,  on  Kit-fox  cubs  and  den, 

70a. 
Hanbury,  David  T.,  on  Wolf  as  train-dog, 
78a. 
on  family  life  of  Wolverine,  950. 
on  food  of  Wolverine,  964. 
Hanford,  D.   R.,  on  mother  Hare  and 

young,  63a. 
Hardy,  Campbell,  on  Caribou  foot,  198 

(fig.),  199. 
Hardy,  Manly,  on  habits  of  Fisher,  93a. 
on  Fisher  killing  Deer,  940. 
on  numbers  of  Fisher,  930. 
on  Fisher  running  Rabbits,  938. 
on  Fisher  killing  Porcupine,  941. 
on  value  of  unusual  Fisher  pelts,  944. 
on  weight  of  Fisher,  927. 


Hare,  Northern,  see  Rabbit,  Snowshoe. 
Hare,  Prairie,  see  Prairie-hare. 
Hargraves,  J.,  freak  Buffalo  horn  (fig.), 

'73- 
Hariot,  Thomas,  on  Virginian  Deer,  73. 

on  antlers  on  Virginian  Deer,  73. 
Harian,  R.,  on  Condylura  macroura,  1140. 
Harris,  Nelson,  on  Hare  swimming,  639. 
Harrison,  R.  M.,  on  family  life  of  Wood- 
chuck,  436. 
Hart,  W.  W.,  on  a8-point  Elk  (fig.),  61. 

on  large  Moose  antleis,  158. 
Harting,  J.  £.,  mother  Rabbit  fighting 

Stoat,  633. 
Hawkins,  A.  H.,  on  Badger  and  Coyote 

friendship,  1007. 
Hawkins,    Col.    L.    L.,   on   Prairie-bare 

swimming,  667. 
Hayes,  W.  J.,  on  size  of  Moose,  145. 
Hay-hah-kay  or  Wapiti,  37. 
Hajrt-kah-lah  or  Chipmunk,  337. 
Hayward,  Daniel,  on  Marten  habits,  914, 

916. 
Heame,  Samuel  (see  Bibliog.,  1795). 
on  Blackbear  eating  insects,  1081. 
on  numbers  of  Blackbear,  1056. 
on  Marsh-shrew,  11 14. 
on  Otter  slides,  830. 
on  Porcupine  home-range,  606. 
on  pairing  of  Wolves,  757. 
on  friendliness  of  young  Wolves  and 

Indians,  764. 
on  courage  of  Wolverine,  96a. 
on  food  of  Wolverine,  964. 
on  strength  of  Wolverine,  960. 
Hedgehog,   a    misnomer   of    Porcupine, 

618. 
Helliwell,  C.   C,  Buffalo  in   Manitoba, 
i88a,  as6. 
on  Raccoon  along  Souris  River,  1013. 
on  range  of  Woodchuck,  418. 
Henry,  Alexander,  n.  (see  Bibliog.,  1897). 
on  Antelope  at  Pembina,  314. 
on  Antelope  on  Souris,  ais. 
on  Beaver  in  Manitoba,  450-451. 
on  colour   variations   of   Blackbear, 

1054. 
on  food  of  Blackbear,  1083. 
on  tame  Blackbear,  1077. 
on  tenacity  of  life  in  Blackbear,  1077. 
on  Buffalo    abundance    along    Red 

River,  853. 
on  Buffalo  kiUed  by  ice,  373-373. 


Synoptic  Index 


1241 


Heniy,  Alexander,  n.  (.Continued). 

on  Buffalo  killed  by  prairie  fires,  ajo. 

on  Buffalo  migration,  365-366. 

on  Buffalo  mother's  fidelity,  a8i. 

on  eariy  abundance  of  Elk  in  Mani- 
toba, ^6. 

on  Fisher  in  Manitoba,  938. 

on  Grizzly  in  Manitoba,  etc.,  io»6- 

1037- 
on  man  outrunning  Lynx,  688. 
on  Lynx  numbers  fluctuating,  698. 
on  Lynx  swimming,  688. 
on  Marten  range,  903. 
oa  Prairie-hare  in  Manitoba,  657. 
on  Raccoon  along  Red  River,  1013. 
on  habits  of  Raccoon,  1031. 
on  Skunk  and  Badger  fight,  1007 
on  she-dogs  as  Wolf  decoys,  780. 
on  Wolf  mange  and  madness,  783- 

784. 
on  Wolf  pups,  761. 
on  Wolves  as  train-dogs,  780. 
on  Wolves  in  Manitoba,  754. 
on  pitfalls  for  Wolves,  784. 
on  Wolverine  along  Red  River,  048 
on  Wood-tick  plague,  649. 

Mtat'  ^"  **"*"*'  °°  '*™*^  *"*  ^ 
Hennine  or  Ermine  Weasel,  840. 
Herraia  on  Benendos,  313,  314. 
Herrick,  C.  L.,  on  Bat  impregnati(m,  iica 
on  habits  of  Common  Shrew,  1099 
on  food  of  Gopher,  567. 
on  Ground-squirrel  eating  flesh,  378. 
on  Porcupine  eating  water  plants,  613 
on  range  of  Prairie  Deermouae,  499.' 
on  Raccoon  in  Minnesota,  1013 
on  range  of  Star-nosed  Mole,  1137. 
Hesperomys  maniculatus,  490. 

"         leucopus  arcticus,  490. 
_-  nebiBscensis,  co< 

He-tong-ka-shah  or  Ermine,  840. 

or  Long-tailed   Weasel. 
865. 
He-tu-k  »h-san  or  Ermine  Weasel,  840. 

u-v       ".         °'Long-tailed  Weasel,  865. 
Hibernation  of  Big  Brown-bat,  1183. 

its  relation  to  albimien,  413- 
415- 
Hind,  Henry  Youle,  on  Antelope  along 
Souns,  315. 
on  Buffalo  along  Souris,  354. 


Hind,  Henry  Youle  (ConHnued). 

on  Buffalo  killed  by  prairie  fires,  370 
on  Buffalo  migration  Map  la,  364, 
365. 

on  Buffalo  near  Ft  Ellice,  356. 

on  Elk  at  Saguenay,  44. 

on  scarcity  of  Elk  in  Manitoba,  46. 

on  Marten  numbers,  904. 

on  Rabbit  yeara,  640. 

on  salt  springs  in  Manitoba,  10. 

on  balking  the  Wolverines,  958 
Hme,  Wilham  R.  (for  many  yean  the 
leading  taxidermist  in  Winnipeg), 
on  Beaver  weight,  448. 
on  Black-fox  near  Winnipeg,  731. 
on  last  Saskatchewan  Buffalo,  397. 
on  Caribou  sUdes,  301. 
on  Coyote  bands,  795. 
on  Fisher  in  Manitoba,  937. 
on  two  Foxes  working  together,  735. 
on  Fox  using  den  in  winter,  730 
•n  family  life  of  Mink,  883. 
on  young  Otters,  833. 
on  Rabbit  numbers,  643. 
on  Raccoon  near  Winnip*^,  1014. 
on  Red-squirrel  nests,  314. 
on  Red-squirrel  and  cuterebia,  333 
on  young  Skunks  bluffing,  974. 
on  range  of  Star-nosed  Mole,  1137 
on  Wolverine  in  Manitoba,  948 

<»"ange  of  Woodchuck,  418. 

Hill,  Bird's,  7. 

Hois,  Arrow,  8. 

"     Brandon,  a 

"      Pwqui".  7.  8. 
"      Tiger,  8. 

Hiskey,  W.  O.,  cm  tinging  of  Piairfe  Deer- 
mouse,  500-501. 
Hoary-bat,  see  Bat,  Hoary. 
Ho-cang  or  "badger,  995. 
Ho-cush-a  or  Woodchuck,  416. 
Hofer,  E.,  on  Yancey  Beaver,  456. 
Ho-ka  or  Badger,  995. 
Hdlis,  Edwin,  size  of  Coyote,  789. 

on  pairing  of  Fr.    Ground-squirrel 
376-  ' 

on  Hoary-bat  at  Touchwood  Hills, 

1 193. 
on  food  of  LitUe  Chipmunk,  371 
on  parasites  of  Little  Vole,  537. 
on  cuterebra  in  Meadow-mouse,  531 
on  Red-bat  at  Touchwood  Hills,  X 184 


1242        Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 


¥ 


Homaday,  Dr.  William  Temple,  Director 
of  N.  Y.  Zoological  Park, 
on  Antelope,  aia. 
on  gait  of  Ar  .elope,  331. 
on  large  horns  of  Antelope,  334. 
on  size  and  colour  of  i\ntelope,  310. 
on  Buffalo  census,  300. 
on  end  of  northern  Buffalo  herd,  397. 
on  Buffalo  existing  in  1871,  393. 
on  extermination  of  Buffalo,  393. 
on  Buffalo  in  District  of  Columbia, 

on  Buffalo  killed  by  bogs,  371. 

on  Buffalo  migration,  363,  365. 

on  number  of  Buffalo  in  1870,  396. 

on  Buffalo  range,  355. 

on  size  of  Buffalo,  348,  349. 

on  Buffalo  slaughter,  394. 

on  size  of  Caribou,  188. 

on  estimite  of  Deer  in  Maine,  77. 

on  treachery  of  pet  Deer,  no. 

on  paternal  instinct  of  Coyote,  797. 

on  possible  mind-reading  in  Coyote, 
808. 

on  size  of  Moose  calf,  i63. 

on  Rabbit  plague,  647. 

on  Red-bat  as  House-bat,  1189. 

on  size  of  Wapiti,  38,  39. 
Horned-owl  er.ting  Bat,  1175. 
"      Mink,  889. 
"      Skunk,  988. 
Horton,  Charles  H.,  on  trout  snapping 

Squirrel's  tail,  317. 
Ho-tang  or  Franklin  Ground-squirrel,  373. 
Houghton,  J.  H.,  on  grub-eating  of  Striped 
Ground-squirrel,  404. 

on  numbers  of  Striped  Ground-squir- 
rel, 397- 
House-bat,  see  Bat,  Big  Brown. 
Hoy,  Dr.  P.  R.,  on  hibernation  of  Striped 

Ground-squirrel,  413-415. 
Hoy  Shrew,  see  Shrew,  Hoy. 
Hudson's  Bay  Co.,  fur  returns  for 

Badger,  1009. 

Beaver,  477. 

Fisher,  943. 

Fox,  Red,  736. 

Lynx,  699. 

Marten,  933. 

Mink,  896. 

Muskrat,  556. 

Otter,  839. 


Raccoon,  1039. 
Skunk,  989. 
Wolverine,  965. 
Hulbert,  A.  B.,  on  Buffalo  highways,  30a- 

303- 
Humidity,  Effect  of,  in  distribution  of  life, 

14- 
Huronian  Rocks,  3. 

Hutchins,  Thomas,  on  cyst  in  Caribou, 
183. 
on  epileptic  Marten,  930. 
on  Fox  following  Wolverine,  953. 
on  home-range  of  Wolverine,  948. 
Hutchinson,  Dr.  Woods,  on  monogamy  of 
Fox,  715. 
on  the  success  of  monogamy,  53. 
on  monogamy  of  Wolf,  756,  759. 
Hypudsus  leucogaster,  483. 
Hystrix  dorsata,  605. 

¥G-MU-HO-TA  or  Canada  Lynx,  677. 
'*'    Indian  names.  Treatment,  33. 

"  "      Authorities,  x,  xi. 

Introduction,  3. 
Ixodes  in  Hare,  648-649. 

"      in  Jack-rabbit,  671. 

"      in  Striped  Ground-squirrel,  410. 

"       in  Whitetailed  Deer,  90. 

JACK-RABBIT,Whitetailed,  see  Prairie- 
hare. 
Jackson,  Rev    Sheldon,  Introduction  of 

Reindeer  into  Alaska,  3o6. 
Jaeger,  W.  II.,  Raccoon  near  Edmonton, 

1016. 
Jagger,  Prof.  T.  A.,  on  Death  Gulch,  p. 
1049. 
and  Plates  XC  and  XCI,  p.  1050. 
Jamts,  T.  P.  (ranchman  of  Clayton,  N. 

M.),  records  150-pound  Wolf,  750. 
Jillson  on  Fr.  Ground-squirrel  plugging 

hole,  376. 
Johnston,  Sir  Harry,  on  nuptial  pelage  of 
Bats,  1148. 
on  effect  of  poison  on  Bat,  1160. 
Joncas,  L.  Z.,  on  Wapiti  at  Victoria  Lake, 

Que.,  44. 
Jones,  Col.  C.  J.  (Buffalo  Jones),  on  speed 
of  Antelope,  333. 
on  Bedson  Buffalo,  399. 
on  age  of  Buffalo,  393. 
on  Buffalo  dans,  376. 
estimate  of  Buffalo,  360. 


Synoptic  Index 


1243 


Jones,  Col.  C.  J.  (ConHnutd). 

on  estimate   of   aouthem   Herd    of 

Buffalo,  394. 
on  matemal  feeling  of  Buffalo,  ate. 
Josielin  on  Caribou,  190. 
Judd,  E.  T.,  on  Rich.  Ground -iquind 

numbeis,  38a. 
Jumping-deer,  see  Mule-deer. 
Jumping-mouse. 

biography,  namea,  skuU  (fi(,.),  jg,. 
«IM,  colour,  races,  life-history,' 
range,  588;  Range  Map  35,  589; 
environment,  home-range,  abun- 
dance, unsociable,  590;  voice,  bur- 
rows, nesting,  591;  mating,  breed- 
WR  59*;  young,  593;  home-life, 
594;  speed,  S9s;  tail,  s0;  food, 
•torage,  597;  all  hours,  ^n<mie», 
598;  hibematiini,  598,  603. 


J^AGH  or  Porcupine,  605. 

Kah  or  Snowshoe-rabbit,  6ai. 
K«hk  or  Porcupine,  605. 
Kearton,  Richard,  on  Blackbear,  3a 
Kee-hah-cha  or  Red-squinel,  307. 
Keele,  J.,  on  Wolverine  killing  Moose,  964. 
KeUogg,  Dr.  A.,  on  song  of  Woodchuck. 

430- 
Kennicott,  Robert,  on  Chipmunk  den,  351. 
on  Chipmunk  climbing,  353. 
on  Chipmunk  foods,  354. 
on  Chipmunk  stores,  359. 
«i  Fr.  Ground-squirrd  eating  flesh. 

377- 
on   Fr.  Ground-squirrel  migration. 

379. 
on  Fr.  Ground-squirrel  in  tree,  373 
on   Fr.  Ground-squirrel  sociability. 
375.  ' 

on  Fr.  Ground-dquirrel  den,  ^76. 
on  Fr.  Ground-squirrel  pairing,  376. 
on  burrow  of  Jumping-mouse,  391. 
on  breeding  of  Jumping-mouse,  553. 
on  food  of  Jumping-mouse,  S97-S08 
on  Least  Weasel  range,  860. 
on  curiosity  of  Marten,  918. 
on  Meadow-mouse  foes,  588-531. 
on  hcbils  of  Microtus  austerus,  cj6 
on  voice  of  Mink,  877. 
on  mating  of  Mink,  877. 
on  burrows  of  Mink,  879. 
on  voice  of  Mole-shrew,  1189. 


Kenniwon,  Robert  (Continued). 
on  serses  of  Mole-shrew,  1130. 
on  pu;jnacity  of  Mole-shrew,  ir3x 
on  activity  of  Mole-shrew,  113a 
on  Otter  paths,  Sao. 
on  ottf  r  den,  8aa. 
on  Otter  slides,  83i-«33. 
on  Otter  foe  ',  835. 
on  voice  of  Pra   ie  Deetmouse,  500 
on  mating  of  Prairie  Deeimouse,  cox 
on  young  of  Prairie  Deermouse,  503 
on  cannibal  Prairie  Deeimouse,  504' 
on  range  of  Red-backed  Vole,  508 
on  number  of  Red-backed  Vole,  500. 
on  sOence  of  Red-backed  Vole,  5-0 
on  nest  of  Red-backed  Vo!e,  510. 
on  diumalism  of  Red-barked  iv» 
511. 

on  drink  of  Red-backed  Vole,  cia. 

on  Skunk  dens,  973. 

ori  15  Skunks  in  one  den,  97a. 

on  Skunk  diet,  985. 

on  range  of  Star-nosed  Mole,  1137 

on  sociability    of    Striped    Grrund- 
squin-l,  39^. 

on  pairing  of  Striped  Ground-squir- 

on  young  of  Striped  Ground-squirrel, 
401. 

on  moiise-eating  of  Striped  Ground- 

Squirrel,  406. 
on  storage  of  Strip<^  Ground-squir- 
rel, 40S. 
on  winter  life  of  Striped  Ground- 
squirrel,  41a. 
on  good  sen-ice  of  Striped  Ground- 
squirrel.  -11^. 
on  range  of  Short-tailed  Weasel,  844. 
on  '  lood  lust  of  Weasel,  851. 
on  storage  by  ./easel,  853. 
on  mouse-kilUng  by  Weasel,  8561 
Kenota,  same  as  Rat  Portage,  Ont. 
Kerr,  Thomas,  of  Cari)erry,  on  Coyote 

mange,  806. 
Ke-tong-ka-ska  or  Least  Weasel,  858 
Kirrhhoffer,  Senator  J.   N.,  on  Badger 

family  life,  1003. 
Kit-chee-wah-boos  or  Prairie-hare,  654. 
Kitchi  My-in-gan  or  Big  Wolf,  749. 
Kit-fox  or  Swift. 

biography,  names,  size,  colour  races, 
700;  life-histoiy,  range,  701;  Range 


i 


3 


7^ 


H^4       Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 


;i 


Map  40,  703;  environment,  mating, 
701;  dens,  703;  habits,  702-705; 
food,  speed,  704;  study  of  (fig.), 
703;  unsuspiciousness,  704;  fur  re- 
turns, African  Kit-fox  (fig.),  705. 

King-bird  chasing  Ground-squirrel,  405- 
406. 

Kin-kwa-har-gay-o  or  Wolverine,  945. 

Klay-zy  or  Grizzly-bear,  1030. 

Klee-ay  or  Red-squirrel,  307. 

Kloon-ay  or  Meadow-mouse,  515. 

Kromling,  Abe,  on  Moose  in  Oregon,  149. 

Kus-kit-tay  Mus-kwa  or  Blackbear,  105a. 

Kwa-kwash-kan-ah-be-gah-not-see  or 
Jumping-mouse,  587. 

Kwash-kwash-kwut-tah-be-gah-not-see  or 
Jumping-mouse,  587. 

Kween-go-ar-gay  or  Wolverine,  945. 

T  ACHNOSTERNA  FUSCA  eaten  by 
^     Bat,  1180. 

Lachnostema  fusca  eaten  by  Mole,  1143. 
Lagare,  J.  L.,  on  Buffalo  at  Oak  Lake, 

Man.,  356. 
Lake  Agassiz,  Map  2,  6,  7. 
"      Manitoba,  9,  lo,  11. 
"      Saskatchewan,  7. 
"     Shoal,  10. 
"      Souris,  8. 
"     White  Water,  10. 
"      Winnipeg,  6,  7. 
'■      Winnipegosis,  9. 
Langley,  S.  P.,  Buffalo  census,  300. 
Lasionycteris  (genus),  1166. 
Lasionycteris  noctivagans,  1166,  1168. 
Lasiurus  (genus),  1183. 
Lasiurus  borealis,  1183,  1184,  1185,  1197. 
"  "        mexicanuo,  1184,  1185. 

"  "        pfeifferi,  1184,  1185. 

"  "        seminolus,  1184,  1185. 

"  "         teliotis,  irS4,  1185. 

"       cinereus,  1191,  1193. 
Lapin  or  Snowshoe-rabbit,  621. 
Laurentian  Rocks,  3,  4. 
Least  Weasel,  see  Weasel,  Least. 
LeConte,  Dr.  T.  L.,  on  cuterebra,  410. 
Lee,    Harry    E.,    on    57-p)oint    Caribou 

antlers  (fig.),  194. 
Leeds,  Abe,  curious  history  of  a  fawn 
Mule-deer,  131. 
on  Wolverine  fighting  Bear,  96a. 
on  pairing  of  Wolverine,  949. 


Leek,  S.  N.,  i8-point  Wapiti  (fig.),  57,  58. 
Legg,  John,  on  Elk  pugnacity,  63. 
Ltighly,  E.  O.,  on  carnivorous  Woodchuck, 

433- 
Lemming-mouse,  see  Bog-lemming. 
Lemming-vole,  see  Bog-lemming. 
Le  Moine,  Father,  discoverer  of  Wapiti  on 

St.  Lawrence,  41. 
Lemmus  (genus),  516. 
Leporidx  (Family),  6a i. 
Lepus  (genus),  621. 
"      americanus,  6a  i,  6aa,  635. 

bairdi,  623,  635. 
"  "  bishopi,  623,  635. 

"  "  cascadensis,  633,  635. 

"  "  columbiensis,  623, 635. 

"  "  dalli,  633,  635. 

"  "  klamathensis,633,635. 

"  "  macfarlani,  633,  635. 

"  "  phxonotus,  631,  633, 

625. 
"  "  struihopus,  633, 635. 

"  "  virginianus,  633,  635. 

"  "  washingtoni,  633,  633. 

"      campestris,  634,  655,  656. 
"  "  townsendi,  655,  636. 

"  "  sierrz,  655,  656. 

Les  Carbot  on  range  of  Caribou,  190. 

on  EUan,  147  (fig.),  148. 
Lett,  N.  n.  H.,  abnormj  antlers  of  White- 
tail  (fig.),  81. 
ideal  antlers  of  Whitetail  (fig.),  loa. 
Lett,  W.  P.,  on  Elk  on  Ottawa  River,  44. 
Lewis  and  Clark,  first  describcrs  of  Ante- 
lope, 330. 
on  tolling  Antelope,  334. 
on  Fisher  killing  Raccoon,  940. 
on  size  of  Grizzly,  1031. 
on  discovery  of  Miile^ieer,  116. 
on  bounds  of  Prairie-hare,  666. 
on  unsociability  of  Prairie-hare,  66t. 
Lievre  or  Prairie-hare,  654. 
Life  Zones  of  Canada,  11. 
Life  Zones,  Austral,  19,  30,  31. 
"       "      Boreal,  17,  19,  31. 
"       "      Transition,  19,  so,  3i. 
Linklater,  George,  Algoma  guide, 
on  Caribou  calling,  196. 
on  hornless  Caribou,  193. 
on  Caribou  polygamy,  305. 
on  Deer  killed  by  Lynx,  in  Algoma, 
693. 


Linklater,  George  (Continued). 
on  home-range  of  Fisher,  gaS. 
on  Fisher  killing  Foxes,  939. 
on  Fisher  killing  Porcupine,  943. 
on  Fisher  swimming,  935. 
on  home-range  of  Fox,  711. 
witnessed  Lynx  killing  Fox,  691. 
on  Lynxes,  at  play,  68.. 
on  Lynx  fluctuations  and  migration, 
698.  ' 

on  piteraal  instinct  n'  Lynx,  683 
on  young  Marten,  913. 
on  home-range  of  Marten,  904. 
on  bull  Moose  with  tumors,  184. 
on  Porcupine  killing  Fisher,  941 
on  Otter  family  life,  8*5. 
on  Otter  sliding,  829. 
on  beginning  of  Whitetail  rut,  104 
on  voice  of  Whitetail,  106. 
Linsley,  J.  H.,  on  weight  of  Common 

shrew,  1094. 
Little  Brown-bat,  see  Bat,  LitUe  Brown. 
L'ttle,    Dr.    Seelye,   on    Rabbit    plague. 
646.  "^   "    ' 

Lobo,  the  story  of,  774. 
Lo-chin-cha  or  Mink,  87a. 
Lockhart,  J.  G.,  on  number  of  Moose 
calves,  167. 
on  Moose  feed-times,  178. 
on  Moose  wariness,  iSo. 
on  cunning  of  Wolverin«',  95a. 
on  defective  sight  of  Wolverine,  geo. 
on  family  life  of  Wolverine,  951 
on  thievishness  of  Wolverine,  955 
Long,    Stephen    H.,    on    tree-felling   by 
Beaver,  466.  *     ' 

on  white  Buffalo,  450. 
on  Buffalo  family  life,  ajt> 
Long-tailed   Chipmunk,   see   Chipmunk. 
Little,  364. 

Long-tailed  Weasel,  see  Weasel,  Long- 
failed.  * 

Lord,  J.  K.,  on  Wapiti  in  British  Colum- 
bia, 44. 

Loring,  J.  Alden,  discoverer  of  a  Red- 
backed  Vole,  513-514. 

Lotor  or  Raccoon,  1084. 

Loup-cervier  or  Canada  Lynx,  677. 

Loup  gris  and  Louvre  grise,  male  and 
female  Gray-wolf,  749. 

Loutre  du  Canada  or  Otter,  817 

Love  of  beautiful,  30. 


Synoptic  Index 


1245 


Low,  A.  P.,  on  colour  variation  in  Fox 
utter,  707. 

on  Marten  eati.-.g  rowan  bcrrie^  018. 
on  Wolverine  can-/-g  trap,  c,^. 
Luafee,  Loup-cervier,  or  Lynx,  677 
Lummis,  Chas.  F.,  on  Antelope,  aia. 
Lutra  (genus),  817. 

canadensis,  817,  819. 

"         lataxina,  818,  819. 
"         pacifica,  818,  819. 
"         sonora,  818,  819. 
"         vaga,  818,  819. 
degener,  818,  819. 
peridyzom*,  818,  819. 
Lynx  (genus),  677. 

"      origin  of,  685. 
Lynx,  Canada,  PI.  XLl,  p.  614-  XLVIIL 
p.678;XLLJC,p.684  "' ^^"'. 

biography,  names,  size,  677;  mastol- 
ogy  (fig),  weight  and  colour,  678; 
head  (fig.),   tail    (fig),  679;    feet 
(hg),   686;   races  of,  679;  range, 
home-range,  abundance,  sociability, 
680;   intercommunication    of,    its 
method  of  hunting,  mating,  68a: 
young.  683-685,  (fig.),  684;  family 
Ife,  685;    pursuit,  687;   running, 
swimming,  688;  food,  689;  killed 
by  Porcupine,  690;  fox-killer,  690- 
69a;    deerkiller,   69a-<593;    never 
mol'  us  man,  694;    storage  habit, 
oi»tisea,  6gs;  curious  partnerehips, 
use  to  man,  flesh,  696;  migrations, 
697;    fluctuation  of  its  numbeis. 
fur  retiiins,  699. 
Lynx  canadensis,  677. 
"  "         mollipilosus,  679, 681. 

„  subsolanus,  6''9,  681. 

/r  ",       ""«e  of  (Map  39),  681. 
niffus,  679;  tai'  (fig.),  679. 
Lyon,  M.  W.,  Jr.,  on  aflinities  of  Antilc 
capridae,  a  10. 
on  number  of  Red-bat  young,  1187. 

^ACCARIB  or  Caribou,  190. 

MacDonald,     John,    on    Badger 
range,  998.  " 

MacFarlane,  Roderick,  on  Badger  range, 

on  fluctuation  of  Blackbeais,  1056. 
on  Fisher  storing  hips,  943. 
on  young  of  Ha"-,  631. 


SI 

s 


!! 


1246        Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 


m; 


MacFarlane,  Roderick  (Conlinued). 

on  Lynx  fluctuation,  migration,  698. 

on  Lynx  gestation,  683. 

on  Marten  disappearance,  908. 

on  diumalism  of  Marten,  917. 

on  Marten  numbers,  904. 

on  Moose  feariess  of  seeing  man,  179. 

on  catch  of  Short-tailed  Weasel,  844. 

on  Wolves  killing  Moose,  769. 

on  home-range  of  Wolverine,  948. 

on  young  of  Wolverine,  950. 
Macintosh,  Mrs.,  record  Caribou  antlers, 

193- 
MacKenzie,  Peter,  adventure  with  a  Lynx, 

694. 
Macoun,  James  M.,  on  last  Saskatchewan 
Buffalo,  397. 

on  Least  Weasel  range,  860. 

on  Otter  slides,  833. 

on  Rich.    Ground-squirrel   numbers, 
38a. 
Macoun,  Prof.  John,  on  Badger  numbers, 
1000. 

on  Badger  pairing,  looi. 

on  Beaver  in  Manitoba,  451. 

on  Coyote  family  life,  798. 

on  Flying-squirrel  eaten  by  trout,  443. 

on  Kit-fox  family,  70a. 

on  habits  of  Long-tailed  Weasel,  868. 

on  Marsh-shrew,  in 5. 

on  Rabbit  years,  640. 

on  Salt  Springs  in  Manitoba,  9. 

on  Weasel  and  Rich.  Ground-squirrel, 

391- 
Mad  Co}rote,  Six. 
"     Fox,  735. 
"     Wolf,  784. 
Mah-cah  or  Skunk,  966. 
Mah-ha-pah-skay-cha  or  Marten,  901. 
Mah-hee-ah-cha  or  Pocket-gopher,  561. 
Mah-kah  or  Skunk,  966. 
Mah-kay-tay    May-kwa    or    Blackbear, 

1052. 
Mah-steen-cha  or  Snowshoe-rabbit,  6ai. 
Mah-steen-cha  Tunka  or  Prairie-hare,  654. 
Mah-stin-cha-la  or  Snowshoe-rabbit,  6ai. 
Mahs-tin-shkah  or  Prairie-hare,  654. 
Mah-to-ho-tah  or  Brown-bear,  1052. 
Mah-to  Shah-kay  Han-ska  or  Grizzly-bear, 

1030. 
Mah-to-wah-hay  See-cha  or  Blackbear, 

1053. 


Mak-a-t«y  Muk-wa  or  Blackbear,  105a. 
Mammalia,  Class,  briefly  cbancteriud, 

XV. 

Manitoba,  Geology  of,  3. 
".         size  of,  3. 
Map  of,  5. 
Maps,  list  of,  xxix. 
Marcy,  Capt.  R.  B.,  on  speed  of  Antelope^ 

Marmot,  Canada,  see  Woodchu«A. 
Marmota  (genus),  417. 

caligatu*,  417,  419. 
dacota,  417,  419. 
flaviventer,  417,  419. 

"  avarus,  419. 

monax,  416,  418,  419. 

"      canadensis,    416,    418, 

4»9.  43«- 
"      ignavus,  418,  419. 
olympus,  419. 
Marmotte  du  Canada  or  Woodchuck,  416. 
Marsh-mouse,  see  Vole. 
Marsh-shrew,  see  Shrew,  Marsh. 
Marte  or  Marten,  901. 
Marten  or  American  Sable,  PI.  LXXIX, 
p.  918;  LXXXI,  p.  968. 
biography,  names,  901;  size,  colour, 
races,     life-history,     range,     90a; 
Range  Map  49,  905;  in  Manitoba, 
environment,  90a;  feet  (fig ),  903; 
home -range,      abundance,      904; 
fluctuations,    906;    Marten   (fig.), 
909;   unsociable,   intercommunica- 
tion,   scent -glands,    910;     using 
■cent-glands    (figs.),    911;    voice, 
910;  mating,  911;  gestation,  nest, 
young,  913;  habits,  attituaes  (fig.), 
915;  ferocity,  diurnal  and  nocturnal, 
916;  tracks  (fig.),  curiosity,  917; 
food,  918;  storage,  enemies,  919; 
sanitation,  disease,  trapping,  930; 
deadfall  (figs.),  931;   fur  returns, 
933-933;    Poland's  lists.   Marten- 
farming,  933;  cages,  food,  etc.,  934; 
breeding,  yoimg,  935;    fur  value, 
933,  935. 
Marten-farming,  933. 

"       Pennant,  see  Fisher. 
"       Saskatchewan,  see  Marten. 
Martin,  Geo.  M.,  on  battle  with  Fisher  in 
water,  936. 
on  Deer-ticks  and  warts,  90. 


Synoptic  Index 


1247 


Muked  Shrew,  Me  Common  Shiew. 
Maitology  (figi.). 
BUckbear,  1067. 
Chipmunk,  349. 
Deennouie,  5*7. 
Lynx,  678. 
Mole-«hrew,  1187. 
R*ccoon,  1011. 
Red-squirrel,  319. 
Skunk,  975. 
Vole,  Dnimmond,  3*7. 
"     Red-backed,  527. 
Woodchuck,  43a. 
Matheion,  Archbishop,  on  Badger  and  loat 

boy,  1008. 
Mayer,  F.  H.,  freak  Buffalo  homa  (fio) 

»n- 

May-hee-gan  or  Gray-wolf,  749. 
May-in-gan  or  Gray-wolf,  749. 
McChesney,    Dr.    C.    E.,    on    Franklin 

Ground-squirrel  in  tree,  376. 
McCown,  on  Blackbear  eating  waap  grubs. 

1083.  ro    --. 

McCuUough,  Robert,  on  Coyote  habits, 
8c6. 
on  habito  of  Least  Vole,  536. 
McDonald,  J.   K.,  on  Foxes  kiUed  by 
Lynx,  691. 
on  Lynx  migration,  697. 
Oil  Marten  migration,  907. 
on  captive  Otter,  8aa,  837. 
on  Otter  family  life,  Sas- 
McDonnell,  J.,  on  Buffalo  killed  by  ice. 

»73- 
McFadden,  Wm.  R.,  of  Denver,  on  kki 
Antelope  it  play,  a4i-a4a. 
on  Antelope  shedding  horns,  aa3. 
on  Antelope  wounded  in  battle,  344. 
photograph   of  young   Coyotes.   PI 
LXXI,  798.  6       J-  «».       • 

freak  Elk  anders  (fig),  61. 
on  famfly  life  of  Mule-deer,  ia8,  136. 
freak  anden  of  Mule-deer  (figs.),  laa- 
"3 
McDwraith,  Thomaa,  on  eade  with  Wea- 
sel skull,  8ss. 
Mclnnes,  Wm.,  Raccoon  on  Attawahp- 
iskat,  1016. 

McLaughlin,  J.  A.,  on  wild  Wolf  as  train- 
dog,  78a. 

on  last  Saskatchewan  Buffalo,  397. 
McNaney,  J.,  on  Buffalo  migration,  a6a. 


McQuesten,  witneMed  a  Lynx  and  Foi 

fight,  691. 
McVeigh,  E.,  on  Deer  bleat,  86. 
Meadow-hare  or  Prairie-hare,  657. 
Meadow-mouse,  see  Vole. 
Meadow-moust,  Bobtailed,  see  Bog-lem- 

ming. 
Meami,  Dr.  E.  A.,  on  legiegatioa  of  aexea 

m  Red-bat,  1189. 
Measham,  Geo.  H.,  Coyote  increue  in 
Manitoba,  804. 
on  home-range  of  Moose,  153. 
on  numbers  of  Moose,  154. 
on  playfulness  of  Moose,  t8i. 
on  strange  habit  of  Moose,  179. 
on  Muskrat  house,  permanent,  547. 
on  Rabbit  years,  641. 
on  numbers  of  Short-tailed  WeaaeL 

844. 
on  range  of  Woodchuck,  418. 
Measurements,  System  of,  34. 
Mee-yah-chah  or  Kit-fox,  700. 
Mee-yah-slay-cha-lah  or  Coyote,  789. 
Melin«,  966. 
Mephitis  (genus),  966. 

americana  var.  hudsonica,  966. 
"        eiongata,  971. 
"        estor,  971. 

hudsonica,  966^  968,  971. 
"        macroura,  971. 
"        mephitis,  968-969,  971. 

putida,  968,  97X,  980. 
mesomelas,  971. 
"        ocddentalis,  971. 

,  ^1.        •P»'P»da,  969. 
platyttima,  971. 

Merrianj,  Dr.  Clinton  Hart. 

on  new  race  of  Antelope,  aia. 
on  Bat  wings  with  holes,  1159. 
on  dens,  Blackbear,  1065. 
on  bear-trees,  1061. 
Blackbear  eating  ants,  io8a. 
on  Blackbear  in  mischief,  1076. 
on  little  Blackboar  lost,  1071. 
on  numbers  of  Blackbear,  1056. 
on  common     Chipmunk     climbing 

353- 
on  habits  of  Chipmunk,  35a. 
on  migration  of  Chipmunk,  341. 
on  stores  of  Chipmunk,  338. 
on  abundance   of   Common    Shrew, 
1097. 


I  ,^i 


1«48        Lifc-historic8  of  Northern  Animals 


MerrUm,  Dr.  Clinton  Hart  {ConHmti). 
on  environment  of  Common  Shrew, 

1096. 
on  ferodty  of  Common  Shrew,  1098. 
on  food  of  Common  Shrew,  11 14. 
on  neit  of  Common  Shrew,  1096. 
on  weight  of  Common  Shrew,  1094. 
on  colour  of  Coyote,  790. 
00  Deer  attacking  man,  106,  110. 
on  Deer  coats,  94. 
on  Deer-lidt,  94. 
on  Fiiher  killing  Porcupine,  94a. 
on  hardineia  of  Flying-aquirrel,  443- 

444- 
CO  ne*t  of  Flying-tquirrel,  44a. 
on  uie  of  tail  in  Gophen,  561. 
on  Hoary-bat  parturition  and  young, 

1196. 
on  Hoary-bat  rut,  X195. 
on  Hoary-bat  aeaaona,  1194,  1198. 
on  range  of  Hoy  Shrew,  tin. 
on  food  of  Jumping-mouae,  597. 
on  hibematioa   of   Jumping -mouM, 

598.  Col- 
on litters  of  Jumping-mouse,  593. 
on  Life  Zones,  la,  13. 
on  habits  of  Long-tailed  Weasel,  871. 
on  curiosity  of  Marten,  918. 
on  Marten  ferocity,  916. 
on  Meadow-mouse  numbers,  saa. 
on  Meadow-mouse  nests,  5a6. 
on  Mink  as  ratters,  888. 
on  home-range  of  Mink,  876. 
on  stencL  of  Mink,  893. 
on  Mink  storage,  89a. 
on  breeding  of  Mole-shrew,  iiaa. 
on  food  of  Mole-shrew,  iia6,  iia8. 
on  range  of  Mole-shrew,  11 18. 
on  rapadty  of  Mole-shrew,  1133. 
on  winter  life  of  Mole  shrew,  iza7. 
on  Otter  food,  835. 
on  Otter  habits,  836-337. 
on  Otter  home-range,  8ao. 
on  diving  power  of  Otter,  8a  7. 
on  Otter  wallows,  834. 
on  food  of  Porcupin:    6ia-<Si3. 
on  size  of  young  Porcupine,  610. 
on  Rabbit  swimming,  637. 
on  character  of  Raccoon,  1035. 
on  food  of  Raccoon,  1023 
on  home-life  of  Raccoon,  loao. 
on  trapping  of  Raccoon,  1033. 


Merriam,  Dr.  Clinton  Hart  (Contimud). 
on  food  of  Red-backed  Vole,  51a. 
on  gestation  of  Red-backed  Vole,  510. 
on  habits  of  Red-backed  Vole,  511. 
on  palaUbility  of  Red -backed  Vole, 

5" 

on  habiu  of  Red-bat,  1188. 
on  nursing  of  Red -bat,  1188. 
on  Red-squirrel  swimming,  318. 
on  Silvery-bat  drinking,  11 74. 
on  fly-ways  of  Silvery-bat,  1167. 
on  water  frequenting  of  Silvery-bat, 

1175. 
on  parturition  of  Silvery-bat,  11 70. 
on  nursery  and  young  of  Silvery-bat, 

1171. 
on  sex    segregation    of    Silveiy-bat, 

1170. 
on  d^rming  Skunk,  9S1. 
on  Skunk  musk,  976. 
on  pet  Skunks,  981-983. 
on  colonies  of  Star-nosed  Mole,  1139. 
on  nest  of  Star-nosed  Mole,  1 140. 
on  winter  habits  of  Star-nosed  Mole, 

114a. 
on  Temperature  Control,  13. 
on  burrows  of  Woodchuck,  4ai. 
on  climbing  of  Woodchuck,  433. 
OP  numbers  of  Woodchuck,  430. 
on  sanitation  of  Woodchuck,  434. 
on  unseasonable  appearance  of  Wood- 
chuck, 439. 
Merrill,  E.  T.,  on  Deer  killed  by  Wolves,  88. 

on  tapeworm  in  Deer,  90. 
y     <±a-cha-gan-is  or  Coyote,  789. 
Mca<ha-chag-an-is  or  Coyote,  789. 
Me-sed-jee-dah-mo  or  Franklin  Ground- 

squinel,  37a. 
Me-sed-jee-dah-mo     or     Richardson 

Ground-squirrel,  380. 
Mei-ta-cha-gan-is  or  Coyote,  789. 
Methods  of  balking  Wolverine,  957-959. 
Michael,  M.  L.,  on  mother  Skunk  devotion, 

974- 
Microsorez  (genus),  1109,  iiii. 
"  hoyi,  1 109. 

"  "    alnonim,  mo,  iiii. 

"  "    eximius,  mo,  mi. 

Microtina  (sub-family),  516. 
MicTotus  (genus),  516. 
"        austerus,  535. 
"        drummondi,  515,  530,  533. 


Synoptic  Index 


Microtua  haydeni,  535. 

ludovjdanus,  531? 
minor,  533,  53, 

penniylvMlcui,  5,5.  5,9,  ,^^ 

5»i 


1249 


abbreviatua,  519. 

•««dicui,  sjo,  5,3. 

•pnorodemua,  5*3. 

"tecui,  5JI. 

breweri,  581. 

chrotorrhinui,  518. 

dnumnondi,  515, 

5*0,  s»3. 
enlxui,  sai. 
font^nua,  5J0. 
labimdorjua,  531. 
mexicanut,  518. 
modestua,  530. 
ncKiphilua,  sax. 
nigrana,  s»o,  583. 
■hattucki,  533. 
temenovc,  sat. 

Microtua  dnimmondi^d  ^!**Gli.S. 

•quirrel,  386. 
Migration  in  geneial,  a6 
MiUais,  J.  G,  on  Bat  ean  in  aleep.  iijS 
on  Bat  aenae,  1156.  ' 

on  Bat  aleeping,  ri6o. 
on  Bat  aquealc,  1150. 
on   u«e  of  femoral   pouch  in  Bata. 

"59- 
on  Br.  Red-backed  Vole,  510 
on  Br.  Weaael  hunting  in  packa,  864 
on  Otter  climbing  treea,  8ie 
on  Otter  slidea,  833. 
on^young  Ottera  and  their  training, 

on  Stoat  antica,  856. 
on  voice  of  Stoat,  845. 
MiUer,  Archie  (guide,  of  Mattawa) 
witnessed  Lynx  and  Fox  fight,  600 
on  family  Ufe  of  Mink,  88a. 
on  Otter  famfly  Ufe,  8a«. 
Miller,  Gerrit  S.,  Jr.,  on  Bat  routes  1,97 
on  Common  Shrew  killed  by  Mint 
iioa.  ^ 

on  Hoy  Shrew,  xm. 
on  tailleaa  Jumping-mouae,  506. 
on  nest  of  Little  Chipmunk,  171 
on  range  of  Little  Chipmunk,  367. 
on  Raccoon  near  Nipigon,  1014. 


Miller,  Gerrit  S.,  Jr.  (CtmHnutd). 

on  Red-bat  breeding  in  Texas.  1186 

00  habita  of  Say  Bat,  1165 

on  migration  of  SUvery-bat,  1176 

on  diaeaie  of  Skunk,  988 

on  enemy  of  Star-noaed  Mole,  114a 

Mil  **°  ,^Sf  "'  S««'"osed  Mole,  .137. ' 

S.!S''W-.T.onweightofMooL,M6. 
Mind-reading,  89,  808. 

Mink,  Minx,  or  Viaon,  PI.   LXXVllI 
p.  87a.  ^--^vm, 

biography,  namea,  aiie,  87a;  weight, 
colour    race.,    life-hiatoiy,    «^, 
873;  R*nge  Map  48,  875;  home- 
»nge,  environment,  head  of  (fig ) 
874;   abundance,  aociabUity,  870' 
voice,    mating,  877;    Mink  (fig), 
078;    neat,  879;    geatation,    88o- 
young,  88a;  food,  883;  habits.  88s 
character,  886;   tracks  (fig),  887' 
P^  (fig),  enemies,  889;  battling,' 
890;  scorage  habit,  speed,  strength, 
»9ai    chmbing,  scent-glands,  893- 
migration,  trapping,  894;  fur,  895; 
fur  returns,  breeding  r-r  fur  sS- 
Mink-farming,  897;    model  mink- 
eiy,  898;    atocking,  genertl  man- 

...  ,  /Kement,  899;  profita,  900. 

Mink-farming  for  fur,  897. 

Minx  or  Vison,  see  Mink. 

MiAj  muk-wa  or   Griialy-bear,    ,030, 

Mis-tah-booa  or  Prairie-hare,  654 

Mit-ten-usk  or  Badger,  995 

M^ab,  Indian  Chief,  see  Crawford, 

Moffatt,  C.  B.,  on  Stoats  playing  a  game, 

Mole-gonher,  see  Pocket-gopher. 
Mole-mouse,  Missouri,  see  Grasshopper- 
mouse.  ^'^ 

Mole-sh-tw  or  Short-tailed  Shrew   PI   C 
p.  1096.  '      '     ' 

biography,  names,  size,  iir6;  weight, 
coour  skull  (fig.),  x^ces,  ,,,7 
n?t  8i«  (fig.,  PI.  C),  ,096;  life- 
nistory,  range,  environment,  iii8- 
Range  Map  6i,  1119;  t^,  (g^' 
mode  of  life,  itao;  labyrinth  in 
•now  (figs.),  numbers,  iiai;  un- 
•oaability,  tunnels,  i,aa;  ,u„nei 
(hg),  1123;   nest,  breeding,  naa- 


I 


12M        Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 


food,  Iia4'iii6:  nctt  and  itoie- 
houie  (fig),  11*5;  nuutology  (fig.), 
winter  life,  1117;  inaii-catcr,  stor- 
age, excrement  (fig.),  i>*lil  drink, 
voice,  hearing,  1119;  touch  and 
eyeaight,  11  jo;  pugnacity,  itji; 
activity,  habits,  ferocity,  iijj; 
muuae-killer,  iijj;  make-killer, 
II. M;  enemiea,  iijs. 

Mole,  Star-noted. 

biography,  names,  sise,  colour,  11  j6; 
weight,  skull  (figa),  life-history, 
range,  11)7;  Range  Map  6a,  1138; 
environment,  home-range,  sociabil- 
ity, 1139;  mating,  nest,  young, 
habits,  1140;  captive,  nasal  disk 
(figs),  climbing,  delving,  U41; 
non-hibemant,  tunnels,  enemies, 
food,  114a;  voice,  scatology  (fig.), 
use,  1143;  poses  (fig),  1144. 

Monarch,  the  Grizzly,  1048. 

Monogamy,  39,  175. 

Montana  Armory,  record  Wapiti  (fig.),  58, 

59- 

Montana  Grizzly  or  Grizzly-bear,  1030. 

Mooney,  Prof.  James,  on  Sioux  origin,  303. 

Moose,  PI.  VII,  p.  144;  VIII,  p.  178;  IX, 
p.  178;  XIII,  p.  ao6. 
biography,  144;  names,  144, 147, 148; 
colour,  144;  size,  height,  145; 
weii^ht,  races,  146;  history,  147; 
earliest  [xirtralt  (fin),  life-history, 
range,  148;  chan),'t^  of  range,  150; 
Range  Map  7,  151,  extension  of 
range,  15a;  home-range,  153;  num- 
bers, 154;  andcrs,  record  antlers, 
(^H),  155;  (i^&k  antlers  (6  figs.), 
156;  remarkable  antlera  (3  figs.), 
157;  record  antlers,  158,  (figs.), 
161;  succession  of  an.llers  (fig.), 
159;  spike  antlers  (fig.),  prime 
anden  (figs.),  160;  locked  anUers 
(fig.),  16a;  gnawed  by  Porcupine, 
168;  bell  (3  figs),  j6a-i63;  Rabbit 
with  bell  (fig.),  signs,  164;  scatology, 
PI.  XIII,  ao6;  life,  Canada-jays, 
spring,  166;  young,  167;  father, 
168;  sheds  antlers,  rut,  169;  bellow, 
170;  calling,  170,173;  mating,  174; 
monogamous,  175;  young  bull, 
wallow,  176;  unmated,  177;  food, 
strange  habits,  178;  fears  not  sight 


of  man,  heavy  sleeper,  179;  draught 
animal,  iMo;  value  to  man,  enemies, 
181;  accidents,  disease,  18a;  cysts, 
183;   tumors,  psychology,  184;   in 
time  of  trouble,  185. 
Moose  killed  by  Wolverine,  964. 
Moustoosk  or  Wapiti,  37. 
Moua  wa  or  Moose,  144. 
Morality  of  animals,  31. 
Morden,  John,  on  ferocity  of  Mole-shrew, 

113a. 
Morgan,  Lewis  H.,  on  bank  Beaver,  460. 
on  Beaver  canals  (figs.),  457-458, 4fc- 
on  Beaver  dams  (figs.),  453. 
on  dams,  size  of,  456. 
on  evolution  of  lodge,  463. 
on  idle  Beaver,  473. 
on  lodges  of  Beaver  (fig.),  46*. 
on  Beaver  numbers,  45a. 
on  Beaver  play,  471. 
on  Beaver  streams,  454. 
on  tree-felling  by  Beaver,  465. 
on  perpetual  vigilance,  455. 
on  young  Beaver,  471. 
Morton,  T.,  on  Deer  in  New  England,  76, 

77 
Mosquitoes  exterminated  by  Bats,  11 74. 
Mouflette  or  Skunk,  966. 
Mountain,  Duck,  6,  aa. 
"         Pembina,  6. 
"         Porcuphe,  6,  aa. 
"         Riding,  6,  aa. 
"         Stoney,  7,  10. 
Mouse,  Balrd,  see  Deermouae,  Prairie. 
Field,  see  Vole. 
"        Gapper,  gee  Red-backed  Mouse. 
"        Meadow,  see  Vole. 
Mouse,  House,  or  Common,  PI.  XLV,  65a. 
biography,  names,  size,  480;   colour, 
teeth  (fig.),  life-history,  range,  etc., 
mating,    481;     singing,    parasites 
(fig.),  48a;  scatology,  PI.  XLV,  65a. 
Mouse-hunter,  see  Weasel,  Least. 
Mouse,  Wood,  sec  Deermouae. 
Mudcat,  see  Muskrat. 
Muk-i-ti-ivah-ne-wish  or  Mule-deer,  114. 
Mule  Blacktail,  see  Mule-deer. 
Mule-deer  or  Mule  Blacktail,  PI.  VI,  p. 
114;  XIII,  p.  306. 
biography,  114;  names,  114, 117, 138; 
size,    weight,    114;    colour,   coats, 
change  of  coats,   115;    races,  tail 


Synoptic  Index 


1251 


comptfed  with  othen  (fip),  „«- 
toil-luJi,   i»ij   hittory,   116;   lil,. 
htotory,  fuge.  117;    Range  Map 
fl>    119;     cnvlroainenl,    numbcnu 
"7:    in  Manitob*.  fieak  antlcis 
(fig),  lao;  (fig..),  ,„;  („  jg^)^ 
its-iaj;  voice,  raigrmt  IS4;  home- 
•»ngei  "S;  life,  i»«;  buda,  does, 
f«wn«,  la;;  motlwr-iove,  139;  loM 
/•wn,  the  father,  the  nit,  faulitiet 
130;  winter  life,  rji;  enemie.,  ,ja[ 
bird  .Mockte.,  fie-zing,  J33;  tound 
•leepen,    bed^   de,:r  hoteli,    134; 
"'*?•••    •wimmlng,    unuLJinenta, 
1 35;  f*wiM  St  play,  Hi«>^^^f^^  ^tc 
136;    intgi  (fig),  galt,   ,3y.,38: 
"WKl    (figi.),    IJ5;    K«tology    PI. 
XHI,  ao6;  young  buck  (fig),  14a; 
wonderful  bounding,  i4»-i4> 
Munro,  Dr.  W.  L.,  record  Moo«  «den 

(fig),  155- 
Mun«,n.  Dr.  E.  L.,  on  blizaaid  kiUin> 
Antelope,  a37. 
on  numben  of  Antelope,  aao. 
ongnwll   home-region   of   Antelope, 
a  16.  "^ 

Murch,  E.  T.,  on  lung  diaeuea  in  Deer.  ox. 
Mund«  (family),  480. 
Mu«  (genua),  480. 
bardii,  499. 
monaz,  416. 

muKuJua  or  Mouse,  480. 
norvegicus  or  Rat,  unknown,  48a. 
pennaylvanica,  515. 
Muiaraigne  de  Hoy,  see  Shrew,  Hoy, ,  109 
Muaanugne  de  marais  or  Manh-«hrew 
ma.  ' 

Muaaraigne  de  Richardaon,  lee  Richard- 
son Shrew,  1106. 

Muaaraigre  or  Shrew,  1091. 

Muih-koose  or  Wapiti,  37. 

Mush-kwe-tay-pej-ee-kee  or  Buffalo,  a47. 

Mus-koose  or  Waoiti,  37. 

Muskrat  or  Musquash. 

biography,  names,  size,  weight,  colour, 
538;  races,  life-history,  range,  etc., 
540;  Range  Map  31,  539;  home- 
range,  S4o;  population,  sociabih'ty, 
541 ;  communication,  mating,  54?- 
landing  log  (fig),  scatology  (fig,),' 
543!  nesdng,  544;  den  (figs.),  ,4,; 
den  section  (fig.),  546;    buil<Ung, 


S47i  houie-plan  (figs),  ,aft,  548; 
eating-houae,  549;  young,  letti«, 
550;  tracks  (figs),  migtation,  pug. 
«dty.  551;  tpeed,  553;  food, 
•torage,  554;  enemi««,  panaitct, 
fcsh  555;  .pear,  fur,  556;  fnak 
(fig).  557 
Musquash,  see  Muskrat. 
Muitela  (genus),  901. 

americana,  901. 

■bieticola,  901,  901. 
abietinoidea,  90a. 
actuosa.  90a. 
brumalis,  90a. 
kenaiensis,  90a. 
atrau,  905. 
"        caurina,  905. 

origenea,  905. 
"       cicognanii,  840. 
"        longicauda,  865. 

lutra  canadensis,  817. 
martes,  901. 
"        nesophiU,  905. 
''        pennanti,  gafi,  997,  999. 

.    "        P»cifica,  9a7,  9a9. 
vison,  87a. 
Myotia  (genus),  1147. 

"      lucifugus,  1147,  "48,  1 149. 

alascensis,  1148,  1149. 
longicrus,  1148,  1149. 
_^      subuUtus,  1148,  1163,  1164. 
keeni,  1163,  1164. 
comparet*  .vith  M.  lud- 


^AK-EE-THEY  or  Red-fox,  706. 

Napaioiapus  (sub-genus),  588,  580. 
Nash,  C.  W.,  on  young  of  Hare,  63/. 
on  range  of  Prairie-hare,  658 
on  Red-bat  in  Manitoba,  1186 
Nead,  H.  C,  on  Striped  Ground-squirrel 
range,  396. 
on  range  of  Woodchuck,  430 
Ne-geek  or  Otter,  817. 
Nelson,  E.  W.,  on  Canada  Lynx  and  its 
method  of  driving  Rabbits,  68a. 
on  Chipmunk  rut,  347. 
on  habits  of  Common  Shrew  in  Alas- 
ka, IIOI. 

on  Otter  family  life,  8a6. 
on  Otter  prowess,  8.^8. 
Red-squirrel  never  hibernates,  389. 


1252        Life-histories  of  Northern  Ainimals 


Nelson,  Seth,  on  Wild-cat  killing  Deer,  693 
Neosortx  (genus),  11 12. 

"         palustris,  III3,  1113,  1114. 
"  "  navigator,  1113,  1114. 

"  "  albibarbis,  11 13,  11 14. 

"  "         alaskanus,  1113, 1114. 

Neosorex  palustris  (teeth),  1093. 
New  York  Weasel,  843. 

"  "        range  of,  Map  45, 843. 

Nichols,  R.,  on  protective  colours,  84. 
Nicholson,   Donald,    of   Morden,    Man., 

on  Chipmunk  at  Morden,  339. 

on  Coons  in  Pembina  Valley,  1013. 

on  Least  Weasel,  860. 

on  Marten  range,  903. 

on  Red-bat  in  Manitoba,  1184. 

on  range  of  Woodchuck,  418. 
Nicol,  James  W.,  on  Blackbear  doping, 

io8o. 
Nog-gy-ay  or  Wolverine,  945. 
Nool-tsee-a  or  Skunk,  966. 
Nop-e-ay  or  Otter,  817. 
Norris,  C.,  on  play  of  Buffaloes,  287. 

on  last  of  Southern  BufiFaloes,  394- 

295- 
Northern  Red-bat,  see  Bat,  Red. 
Northern  Whitetail,  see  Deer,  Virginian. 
Norton,  E.,  on  home-range  of  Fox,  711. 

Fox-farming,  741. 

paternal  instinct  of  Fox,  715. 
Numbers,  fluctuations  of  animals',  27. 

pVCELOT,  related  to  Lynx. 
^^  Odocoileus  (genus),  68. 
Odocoileus  acapulcensis,  75. 

"  americanus  borealis,  68. 

battyi,  7s. 
"  columbianus,  116. 

"  costaricensis,  75. 

"  couesi,  75. 

"  hemior;"5,  114,  116,  119. 

*•  "         califomicus,      116, 

ir9. 
••  "         canus,  116,  119. 

"  "         columbianus,    iiC, 

119. 
"         eremicus,  116,  119. 
"         peninsulx,  116, 119. 
lichtensteini,  75. 
nelsoni,  75. 
nemoralis,  75. 
rothschildi,  75. 


Odocoileus  sinalox,  75. 
"  thomasi,  75. 

"  toltecus,  75. 

truei,  75. 
"  virginianus,  7a,  75. 

"  "  borealis,   68,    73, 

75- 
lousianiae,  73,  75. 
leucurus,  73,  75. 
macrourus,  73,  75. 
osceola,  73,  75. 
texanus,  73,  75. 
O-ga  or  Porcupine,  605. 
Ohnimus,  L.  J.,  on  Gophers  in  Golden 

Gate  Park,  565,  567. 
Okee-coo-haw-gew  or  Wolverine,  945. 
Ondatra  or  Muskrat,  538. 
Onychomys  (genus),  483. 

"  arr'iceps,  486-487,  489. 

"  fuiiginosus,  486. 

"  leucogaster,  483,  485,  487. 

"  "        brevicaudus,  485, 487. 

"  "        longipes,  485,  487- 

"  "        albescens,  485, 487. 

"  "        melanophrys,       485, 

487. 
"  "        pallescens,  485,  487. 

"  ruidosx,  487. 

Oo-djeeg  or  Fisher,  936. 
Ootaw-chee-gsshees    or    Pocket -gopher, 

S6i. 
Orang,  beating  its  own  head,  33. 
Orders,  briefly  characterized,  see  List  of 

Species,  xv-xx. 
Original  or  Moose,  144,  147,  (fig.),  T48. 
Osgood,   Wilfred   H.,   on   Least  Weisel 
habits,  etc.,  863. 
on  Least  Weasel  range,  860. 
on  genus  Peromyscus,  493. 
on  range  map  of  Peromyscus,  493. 
on  Red-squrrel  nests  on  Yukon,  314. 
on  Red-squirrel  food  on  Yukon,  333. 
Otchoeck  or  Fisher,  926. 
Ot-choek  or  Woodchuck,  416. 
Otter,  Canada. 

biography,  names,  817;  size,  weight, 
colour,  races,  near  kin,  life-history, 
range,  environment,  818;  Range 
Map  44,  819;  home-range,  830; 
abundance,  sociability,  sounds,  etc., 
831;  mating,  den,  gestation,  833; 
young,  training  of  young,  833;   in 


■uinmer,  824;  father's  behaviour, 
8as;  habits,  swimming,  8a6;  nm- 
mng,  on  snow,  827;  poses  (fig.), 
8a8;  slides,  899;  slides  in  all  lati- 
tudes, 831;  slides  at  all  seasons. 
833;  tracks  (fig.),  83a;  dry  wal- 
lows,  834;  climbing,  83s;  fish  its 
fowl,  mentality,  playfulness,  836; 
a  fighter,  837;  capture,  838:  fur 
returns,  839. 

Ours  d'Amerique  or  Blackbear,  loca 

Ouis  gris  ou  feroce  or  Grizzly-bear,  1030. 

Ouis  noir  or  Blackbear,  1052 

Owl,  Acadian,   living  with  Red-squirrel, 

"     ^''"'' Paying  on  Gopheis,  57,-57,. 
barred,  preying  on  Flying-squirrel, 

443- 
burrowing,  and  Rich.  Ground-squir- 

lel.  39'- 
great  homed,  preys  on  Bats,  11 75, 

«  preys  on  Gophers,  571. 

H  kilU  Mink,  889. 

attacks    Porcupine, 

^'^■ 
attacks  Skunk,  988. 


P^^V^p. D«  A.S.,on cuterebra,4io. 

Pah-hee  or  Porcupine,  605. 
Pah-hin  or  Porcupine,  605 
Palmer,  Dr.  T.  S.,  on  Beaver  in  Algonquin 
Park,  4sa.  *    ^"™ 

on  parasites  of  Hares,  670. 
Parasites  in  general,  33 

^f  f,«?^J-  M..  on  veiy  laq^  White- 
tailed  Deer,  71. 

Patton,  Dr.  A.,  on  torpor  of  Jumpinif. 

raouse,  599-601.  ■>      f   s 

Payne,  Chas.,  on  age  of  Buffalo,  293. 
PajiBe,  F.  T.,  on  bawlings  of  bucks,  86 
Peale,  Titian,  on  mother-love  in  Red-bat 

1 188.  ^ 

Pease,  Sir  Alfred  E.,  on  British  Badmr 

mating,  1002.  ^ 

Pedomys  (sub-genus),  533,  535. 
Pee-kwa-nah-djee  or  Little  Brown  Bat, 

Peeshoo  or  Canada  Lynx,  677 
Pekan,  see  Fisher. 
Pekan<  or  Fisher,  926. 


Synoptic  Index 


1253 


Pekong  or  Fisher,  926. 
Pekwahm  or  Fisher,  926. 
Pennant  Marten,  see  Fisher 
Pennant  on  Raccoon  and  oysteis,  1023 
Percival,  H.  C.  krge  Moos^  andem  (4). 
157,  158.  ^^'' 

Peromyscus  (genus),  491. 

maniculatus,  490,  491,  493. 

abietorum,  493. 

algidus,  493. 

arcticus,  490,   491, 
49a,  493- 

argentatus,  493. 

artemisia,  493. 

austerus,  493. 

tiirdi,    491,    49a_ 

493.  499- 
blandus,  493. 
catalinK,  493. 
cineritius,  493. 
dementis,  493. 
coolidgei,  493. 
dubius,  493. 
eremus,  493. 
fulvus,  493. 
gambeli,  493. 
geronimensis,  493. 
gracilis,  493. 
hollisteri,  493. 
hyteus,  493. 
keeni,  493. 
labecula,  493. 
luteus,  403. 
macrorhinus,  493. 
magdalene,  493. 
raaigaritSB,  493. 
nebrascensis,    491, 

49a,  493- 
nubiterrte,  493. 
oreas,  493. 
pallescens,  493. 
rubidus,  493. 
rufinus,  493. 
saturatus,  493. 
sonoriensis,  493. 


Pe-tang  or  Otter,  817. 

^'^^f'T'  !!""*"  ^  ^'  °°  winter-killed 
cuffalo,  267. 

Pettigrew,  Hon.  R.  F.,  on  age  of  Buffalo^ 

P'gumpk  or  Fisher,  926. 
Phenacomys  (genus),  516. 


1254        Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 


I 


Pbillipps-WoUey,  C,  on  large  Moose  ant- 
lers, 158. 
on  size  of  Wapiti,  58. 

Pichu  or  Canada  Lynx,  677. 

Pickett,  Col.  W.  D.,  on  weight  of  Grizzly, 
103a. 

Pierce,  H.  C,  large  Moose  antlers  (fig.), 

IS7.  158- 
on  Wolves  in  Gasp^,  753. 
Pigmy  Shrew,  see  Shrew,  Hoy. 
Pike,  Warburton,  on  Wolf  mange,  783. 
Plan,  General,  for  each  species,  33. 

nomenclature  used,  spelling  of  Indian ; 
names,  capitalization,  use  of  num- 
bers, gender,  33;  descriptions,  34; 
measurements,  speed,  tracks,  scatol- 
ogy,  the  animal's  mind,  environ- 
ment, range,  35;  maps,  home-range, 
migrations,  26;  numbers  of,  food, 
property  instinct,  storage  habit, 
relation  to  light,  37;  sociability, 
means  of  communication,  senses, 
aS;  amusements,  mating,  home,  39; 
sanitation,  training  of  young,  love 
of  beautiful,  30;  morality,  vice, 
crime,  31 ;  suicide,  enemies,  diseases, 
odd  partnerships,  commensalism, 
age,  33;  strange  incidents,  relation 
to  man,  references,  34. 
Pocket-gopher,  PI.  XL,  p.  561. 

biography,  names,  561;  characters, 
size,  colour,  563;  paws  (fig.),  561; 
races,  life -history,  range,  563; 
Range  Map  33,  563;  in  Manitoba 
(map),  environment,  564;  num- 
bers, 565;  solitary,  poses  (figs.), 
scatology  (fig.),  sounds,  566;  young, 
food,  storage  habits,  567;  in  bur- 
rowing (fig.),  569;  burrow  (fig.), 
570;  nocturnal,  571;  enemies,  para- 
sites, 573;  burrows  (figs.),  573,  573, 
574;  den,  573;  dung,  573;  (fig), 
566;  mud-pellets,  573;  burrow  and 
nest  (fig.),  574;  airing,  575;  evi- 
dence of  work  (figs.),  shafts, 
576;  industry,  576,  585;  snow- 
tunnels  (figs.),  S77;  non-hibemant, 
no  earthworms,  578;  services  of 
Gophers,  579;  as  loam-makers, 
number  of  mounds,  581;  number 
(figs.),  size  of  mounds,  583-583; 
tremendous  results,  585. 


Pocket-mouse,  see  Pocket-gopher. 
Pocock,  R.  I.,  on  raising  Wolf  pups,  763. 
Pohano  or  Caribou,  190. 
Pok-kahn  or  Flying-squirrel,  437. 
Poland's  fur  returns  for 
Badger,  1009. 
Beaver,  477. 
Fisher,  943. 
Fox,  Red,  736. 
Lynx,  699. 
Marten,  923. 
Mink,  896. 
Otter,  839. 
Raccoon,  1017,  1039. 
&k'.nk,  989. 
Wolverine,  965. 
Polar  or  White  Bear,  1035. 
Polatouche  or  Flying-squirrel,  437. 
;':  lecat,  Prairie,  see  Skunk,  Hudsonian. 
Pond,  Major  J.  B.,  on  abimdance  of  Ante- 
lope, 317,  331. 
Pore-epic  velu  or  Porcupine,  605. 
Porcupine   killing   Lynx   (Audubon   and 

Bachman),  690. 
Porcupine,  Canada,  PI.  XLI,  p.  614;  XLV, 
p.  652. 
biography,  names,  size,  605;   weight, 
colour,    races,    life-history,    range, 
606;   Range  Map  36,  607;   home- 
range,    606;     non-migrant,    non- 
hibemant,  environment,  crepuscu- 
lar,  numbers,   608;    non-sociable, 
noises,  nest,  609;    mating,  young, 
610;   speed,  stupidity,  611;    food, 
613;  water-plants,  613;  loves  salt, 
quills,  614;    quill  (figs.),  defence, 
615;  repelling  dog,  616;  fears  none, 
617;    method  of  attack,  enemies, 
fire,  618;  Pekan,  man,  619;  scatol- 
ogy, PI.  XLV,  p.  653;   use,  poses 
(fig.),  620. 
Po-tach-i-ping-qua-shi  or  Pocket-gopher, 

S6t. 
Potter,  A.  F.,  on  csnsus  of  range  Cattle, 

Potter,  W.  S.  on  Lvr^e  A  Tiitetailed  Deer,  70. 
Prairies  pncl  Forests  of  Manitoba,  5-11. 

'        "  "       (map),  5. 

Prairii  ^  rlearc"'.  .)y  Fire,    ii. 
Prairi-harc  Tl.  XLVI,  p.  654. 

biography,  names,  size,  weight,  colour, 
654;  races,  ears,  655;   Range  Map 


Synoptic  Index 


38, 656;  lile-history,  range,  in  Man- 
itoba, 6S7H558;  feet  (fig.),  6cq- 
home-range,  660;  non-mi^^^^ 
non-soc.able,  intercomn,uni«tion, 
•n^^ng,  661;  poses  (figs.),  663 
nestmg,  young,  663;  habits,  664- 
S''?J^(%).  666;  speed,  mJ; 
tolity,  668;  food,  enemies,  665^673; 

to  man,  672;  tail-pieces  (fies  )  671 
Pnune  Steppes,  6,  7,  8,  9.        ^  ^ '''  ""• 
Steppe,  1st,  6. 
"       and,  7. 
"       3rf.9. 
Preble,  Edward  A.,  on  Blackbear  eatine 
msects,  1081.  * 

on  Bog-lemming,  560. 
on  range  of  Caribou,  189. 
on  Coyote  pellets,  805. 
on  Flying-squirrel  range,  440 

on  Hoary-bat  at  Ft.  Resolution,  119a. 
on  abundance  of  Jumping-mous;;,  5^. 
onnesUng,etc.,   of  Jumping-mowe 

S9*-S93-  r    6        uac, 

on  Least  Weasel  range,  860 

on  range  of  Little  Chipmunk,  rf? 

on  Maish-shrew,  11 14  '' 

on  Microtus  carrying  young,  594 

on  range  of  Red-backed  Vole,  508 

on  haunts  of  Red-backed  Vok-  509 

on  Richardson  Shrew,  1108 

on  inte|n«ie  of  Sduropterus  alpinu. 

and  S.  sabnnus,  438. 
on  Skunk  aquatics,  985 
Prevost,  a  trapper,  quoted  on  Beaver,  45, 
on  Beaver  sodables,  470.  ^ 

on  idle  Beaver,  473. 
Procyon  (genus),  loio. 

lotor,  1010,  1013. 

elucus,  iota,  1015. 
"      hemandezi,  loia,  1015. 
insularis,  loia,  1015. 
mexicanus,  loia,  1015. 
pallidus,  loia,  1015. 
maynardi,  X015, 
psora,  1015. 

padficus,  1015. 
pygnutus,  1015. 
Procyonida;  or  Raccoon  Family,  ,010 

P^/;.T.W.,ofCardiflF,on'fidelityof 
male  Fox,  715,  730.  ' 


USB 


Q 


Proger,  T.  W.  (Continued). 
on  Fox  caches,  73a. 
on  home-range  of  Hare,  660. 
on  Otter  home-range,  8ao 
p2"''i/*.^"'''P*'  P^nghomed. 

pSirBS::?47'^'^'^'-^- 

^"m ^'  y™'  °"  ^°y°««  <*«ed  by  doe 
Mule-deer,  139.  ' 

Putorius  (genus),  873. 
alascensis,  84a. 
alleni,  843. 
arcticus,  843. 
arizonensis,  866. 
cicognanii,  840,  843. 

richaidsoni,  841. 
alascensis,  841. 

compared  with  othen. 
841. 
haidarum,  84a. 
kadiacensis,  84a. 
longicauda,  865,  869. 

spadix,  866. 

oribasus,  866. 

compared       with 
.  others,  841. 

lutensis,  875. 

melampeplus,  875. 
microtis,  84a. 

noveb.r-^„sis   compared   with 

cicofer.anii,  843. 
pusillus,  858. 
richardsoni,  84a. 
rixosus,  858,  861. 

eskimo,  859. 
allegheniensis,  859. 
compared    with   otheis. 
841. 
saturatus,  866. 
vison,  87a,  875. 
"     eneipunenos,  873,  875. 

mgen^  873,  875. 
,.      '«='«t™.  873,  875. 
_^     lutreocephalus,  873,  875 
vulgivagus,  873,  875. 

|UICKHATCH,«*  Wolverine. 
Quillpig,  see  Porcupine. 


1256        Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 


D  ABBIT,  SNOWSHOE,  Turtle  Moun- 
**•    tain,  653. 

Rabbit,  Snowshoe,  PI.  XLII,  p.  631; 
XLIII,  p.  634;  XLIV,  p.  6a8;  XLV, 
p.  65a. 

biography,  621;  names,  6ji,  623; 
size,  631;  colour,  633,  633-634; 
races,  633;  moulting,  633;  life- 
history,  range,  634;  Range  Map  37, 
635;  life,  636;  environment,  home- 
range,  637;  sociability,  games,  638; 
lantern,  639;  voice,  mating,  630; 
gestation,  nesting,  young,  631; 
bravery  of  parents,  633,  633;  hrbits, 
633;  mentality,  tracks  (fig.),  «.Jean- 
liness,  634;  winter  habits,  non- 
migratory,  torpidity,  food,  635; 
drink,  sjieed,  636;  swimming,  636, 
637.  639;  frozen  in,  637;  poses 
(figs.),  638;  population,  640;  Rabbit 
years,  640,  641,  643;  conclusions, 
643;  numbers,  643-644;  the  plague, 
645;  expert  reports,  645,  646,  647, 
648;  parasites,  648;  ticks,  enemies, 
649;  Weasels,  650;  medicine  Rab- 
bit, use  to  man,  651;  fur,  snares 
(figs.),  653. 
Raccoon  or  Coon,  PI.  LXXXVI,  p.  1018 
LXXXVII,  p.  1034. 

biography,  loio;  names,  loio,  1034 
size,  mastology  (fig.),  weight,  colour, 
ion;  races,  life-history,  range, 
IOI3;  Range  Map  54,  1015;  in 
Manitoba,  1013,  1031;  other  rec- 
ords, 1014;  individual  range,  en 
vironment,  1016;  numbers,  socia 
bility,  intercommunication,  1017 
den,  mating,  1018;  young,  home 
life,  1019;  habits,  i03i;  food,  1033 
washing  habit,  1034;  swimming, 
running,  fighter,  as  pets,  1035;  sani 
tation,  1026;  tracks  (fig.),  1037 
PI.  LXXXVII,  p.  1034;  trapping, 
enemies,  uses,  1038;  fur  returns, 
1029. 
Radford,  Harry  V.,  on  Beaver  beds,  471. 

on  Beaver  Adirondacks,  478. 

on  restoring  Moose  to  Adirondacks, 
I.S2- 

on  Wapiti  in  Adirondacks,  47. 
Rae,  Dr.  John,  on  eating  house  of  Musk- 
rat,  549- 


Rafinesque  and  the  Bats,  1181. 
Range,  Most  animals  are  changing,  35. 
Rangifer  (genus),  187. 
arcticus,  189,  193. 
caribou,  187,  189,  193. 
gn>.nti,  189,  193. 
gnenlandicus,  189,  193. 
montanus,  189,  193,  (fig.),  194. 
osbomi,  189,  193. 
pearyi,  189,  193. 
stonei,  189,  193. 
ternenovse,  189,  193. 
Rat  musque  or  Muskrat,  538. 
Raton,  see  Raccoon,  loio. 
Rat  Portage,  same  as  Kenora,  Ont. 
Red-backed  Mouse  or  Vole,  PI.  XXXIX, 
p.  506. 
biography,  names,  size,  506;  mastol- 
ogy (fig.),  537;  colour,  506;  races, 
life-history,  range,  508;  Range  Map 
38,  507;  environment,  home-range, 
abundance,  509;    sociable,  silent, 
burrows,    nest,    breeding,    young, 
510;    habits,  diurnal,   food,   511; 
drink,  on  ground,  enemies,  relation 
to  man,  513;    prairie   race,  size, 
colour,  513;  life-history,  514. 
Red-bat,  Northern,  see  Bat,  Red. 
Red-deer,  American,  see  Wapiti. 
Red-fox,  Prairie  or  Common,  see  Fojt, 

Prairie  Red. 
Red -squirrel   or  Chicaiee,   PI.   XXXII, 

P-  307- 
biography,  names,  size,  307;  colour, 
relatives,  308;  races,  308,  310; 
life-history,  range,  310;  Range  Map 
13,  309;  environment,  home-range, 
310;  abundance,  sociability,  312; 
voice,  singer,  mating,  pairing,  out- 
rage, 3»3;  nesting,  314;  young, 
mother-love,  cat-fostermother,  315; 
massage,  316;  carrying  young,  315, 
316,  317;  nocturnal,  tender  tail, 
squirrel  and  trout,  317;  leaping 
power,  swimming,  318;  paws  (figs.), 
tracks  (figs.),  nerve-bristles  (fig.), 
319;  migration,  321;  food,  car- 
nivorous, bird-eater,  worm-eater, 
322;  winter-food,  333;  cones, 
poses  (figs.),  334;  storage,  Fox- 
squirrel,  Eskimo  trick,  335;  mush- 
room-eater, 336;   mushroom  (fig.), 


m\  ■ 


Synoptic  Index 


sTn.l^?'"'^'''  birch^ater. 
spnng.food,  living  with  owl,  winte; 
I'fe,  never  hibernate,  3,8  pky: 
ground  (fig.).  3,,;  i„;.,S 
(hg.),  enemies.  Marten,  330;   fear 

cuterebm  lice,  33,;  nest  material 
and  vermin,  33,-334,  unsanitary, 
government,  334;  age,  mentalij^ 
33S;  value,  ^36.  •'' 

X)f  x6r'  ""''  '''^  '"««"'  '58. 

References,  plan  of,  34 
Region,  Arctic,  12,  13,  ,4 
;;       Temperate,  13,  ,3,  ,5. 
iropical,  12. 

S/'*"i  °"  ^'■'''"  '''"'■"g  Coon,  939. 
Remdeer,  American,  see  Caribou,  W^. 

Relation  of  animals  to  man,  34 

Renarddes  prairies  ouvif  or  Kit-fox  »oo 
Resseque,  H.,  on  mating  of  Mink,  Sj'jLq 
on  young  of  Mink,  883. 
on  young  Mink,  888 
Rhoa^,  Samuel  N.,  on  Bat  pose  for  sleep, 

on  Beaver  in  Pennsylvania,  478 

on  habits  of  Big  Brown-bat,  1181 

on  Bats  vs.  bugs,  ir62. 

on  birth  of  Chipmunks,  348 

on  family  life  of  Chipmunks,  «a 

on  food  of  Chipmunks,  356         ' 

on  never  fat  Chipmunks,  362 

on  parturition  of  Chipmunks,  ,48 

on  tailless  Jumping-mouse,  596 

on  Least  Weasel  range,  860 

on  harmlessness  of  Meadow-mouse, 

on  young  of  Mole-shrew,  1124 
on  young  of  Myotis  lucifugus,  iic, 
on  pairing  of  Red-bat,  1186 
on  migration  of  Red-bat,  iioo 
on  habits  of  Star-nosed  Mole,  1140 
on  food  of  Star-nosed  Mole,  1142 
Richardson,  Jenness,  of  N.  Y,  on  tubercu- 
losis  in  Deer,  91.  " 

photo  of  grazing  Moose,  PI.  vni,  178 

on  Blackbear  food,  io8a. 


1257 


Richardson,  Sir  John  {Continutd) 
on  origin  of  'Cabrit,'  209 
derivation  of  'Caribou,'  191 
on  species  of  Canbou,  191 
on  food  of  Deermouse,  498 
on  Fisher  killing  Porcupine,  941 
on  Gopher,  578.  ^ 

discovers  Ground-squinel,  ,7a 
on  Grizzly  at  Cariton,  1038      ' 
on  Lypx  swimming,  680 
on  mother  Mink,  882. 
on  Muskrat  food,  554 
on  Otter  food,  835. 
on  winter  habits  of  Otter,  Sao.  830 
on  mating  of  Porcupine,  610 
on  range  of  Striped  Ground-squirrel, 

on  she-dogs  as  Wolf  decoys,  780 
on  a  heroic  Wolf,  775  ' 

on  Wolf  tamed  by  Starvation,  77& 
on  balking  the  Wolverine,  9^7 
on  cunning  of  Wolverine.  9« 
on  food  of  Wolverine,  ^      ' 
R.^a.dso„  Shrew,  see  Shrew,  Richard- 

Rictoon<^Rev.C.A..onWooddiuckup 
tree,  43X,  433.  V 

Ricker,  J.  A.,  on  Elk  whistle.  6, 
Rimmgton,  George  A.,  on  Badger  and 
Coyote  partnership,  1008 
on  weight  cf  Coyote,  790. 

Rise  and  Fall  of  Water  Level,, I 

Roach-back  or  Grizzly-bear,  ,0,0 
o5'Sre^'S"^~'^^°"«'i-P^r 
on  banding  of  Lynx,  687 
on  Lynx  killing  Caribou,  693 
on  pairing  of  Mink,  878. 
on  Mink  against  Muskrat.  «c 
on  'Pekwahm,'  926  ^^^' 

on  Weasel  pair,  8 

^£'^°'"^-^'°""°"'"Mi'>k&h. 
ing,  isai. 

Roberts,  W.  L.,  on  size  of  Moose,  14c 

Robhn.R.P    Premier  of  ManitoU.  on 
Lyra  near  Carman,  680. 


1258        Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 


M 


i^^ 


Rockefeller,  W.  G.,  Deer  punuing  Fox, 

89. 
Rodent  Scatology,  PI.  XLV,  p.  652. 
Rolinat,  M.,  on  parturition  of  Ve*p»rtilic 

murinus,  1153. 
Roosevelt,   Col.  Theodore,  on  Antelope 

duels,  343. 
on  excitability  of  buck  Antelope,  242- 

a43- 
on  Antelope  mother's  bravery,  239. 

on  tolling  Antelope,  234. 

on  use  of  tail  in  1  'cer,  85. 

on  challenge  of  buck  Mule-deer,  124. 

on  Wolf  killing  horse,  779. 
Roselet  or  Ermine  Weasel,  840. 
Ross,  Alexander,  on  Buffalo  along  Red 
Kiver,  253-254. 

on  Buffalo  Wool  Co.,  300. 
Ross,  Bernard  Rogan,  on  very  large  Fisher, 

934- 
on  weight  of  Fisher,  927. 
on  Fox  caches,  733. 
on  Marten  disappearance,  907. 
on  Wolf  fishing,  768. 
on  Wolf  living  with  dogs,  781. 
on  thievishness  of  Wolverine,  956. 
Rosser,  J.  J.  G.,  on  Chipmunk  at  Winni- 
pegosis,  339. 
on  Flying-squirrel  range,  440. 
on  Raccoon  near  Winnipegoais,  X014. 
on  range  of  Woodchuck,  420. 
Royal  Fox,  see  Fox,  Red  Prairie. 
Ruehling,  J.  G.,  on  Fisher  running  Rab- 
bits, 938. 
Rungius,  Carl,  on  size  of  Moose,  145. 
Russell,  Edward  C,  on  cattle-killing  Griz- 
zly, 1049. 
Russell,  Frank,  on  Flying-squirrel  range, 
440. 

CABINE,  Sir  Joseph,  names  Ground- 

'^    squirrel,  372. 

Sable,  American,  see  Marten. 

Saddle-backed  Shrew,  see  Shrew,  Richard- 
son. 

Sagard-Theodat  on  Caribou  or  Asnes 
Sauvage,  190. 

Sage,  R.  B.,  on  Antelope  shedding  hotna, 

232. 

Salt  Springs  in  Manitoba,  9. 

Samson  Fox,  709. 

Samuels,  E.  A.,  Weasel  pair  hunting,  846. 


Sanderson,   Christian,   on   age    of   Fox, 

735- 
Sang-gwiss  or  Mink,  872. 
^ang-way-soo  or  Mink,  872. 
Sanitation,  30. 

"         Meadow-mouse,  324,  525. 
"         Pocket-mouse,  573. 
"  Raccoon,  1026. 

"         Red-squirrel,  334. 

Wolf,  780. 
"  Woodchuck,  424,  425. 

Sargent,  C.  S.,  Forestry  map  of  North 

America,  257. 
Sass  or  Blackbear,  1052. 
Sau-wis  Mus  kwa  or  Yellow  Bear,  1052. 
Say  Bat,  see  Bat,  Say. 
Sayles,  Ira,  on  Chipmunk  hoard,  358,  359. 
Scangaresse  or  Skunk,  966. 
Scatology  (figs.). 
Badger,  1008. 

Beaver,  652. 

Blackbear,  1086. 

Bog-lemming,  65a. 

Caribou,  206. 

Deermouse,  65a. 

Elk,  206. 

Fisher,  1008. 

Flying-squirrel,  6sa. 

Fox,  734. 

general,  25  (no  fig.). 

Gray-squirrel,  653. 

Grizzly-bear,  1086. 

Ground-squirrel,  Rich.,  65a. 
"  13-striped,  652. 

House-mouse,  652. 

Meadow-mouse,  534,  525. 

Mole-shrew,  1128. 

Moose,  206. 

Mule-deer,  206. 

Muskrat,  543,  652. 

Pocket-gopher,  566,  65a. 

Porcupine,  652. 

Prairie-dog,  653. 

Raccoon,  1027. 

Rat,  652. 

Skunk,  1008. 

Snowsiioe-rabbit,  652. 

Star-nosed  Mole,  1143. 

Synaptomys,  652. 

Vole,  Drummond,  65a. 

Wapiti,  ao6. 

Whitetail,  206. 


w 

M 
M 
<l 


II 
II 


Wolverine,  1008. 

Woodchuck,  6sa. 
Schebl,  Dr.  Joseph,  on  Bat  lenie,  1x56. 
"57.  1158.  '^ 

Schott,  John,  on  Antelope  near  Winnipeg, 

on  Buffalo  at  Brandon,  iMi,  956 
on  hunting  Buffalo  at  Carberry.  Man 

Sdurid«  (Family),  307. 
Sduropterus  (genua),  437. 

alpinus,  438,  439. 
^  bangsi,  439. 

califomicus,  439. 
II  fuliginosus,  439. 

klamathensis,  439. 
'Mdvus,439. 
oregonensis,  439. 
Stephens!,  439. 
yukonensis,  438. 
aphjBus,  439. 
sabrinus,  437,  438,  439- 

macrotis,  438,  439. 
makkovikensis, 

438,  439- 
silus,  438,  439. 
volans,  438,  439- 
"      quereetL  419. 
Saurus  (genus),  307. 

douglasi,  308,  309. 

albo-limbatus,  308,  309. 
„        <»wulensi8,  308,  309. 
moUipilosus,  308,  309. 
fremonu,  308,  309. 

grahamensis,  308,  309. 
meamsi,  308,  309. 
niogoUonen8is,3o8,309. 
neomexicanus,  308, 309. 
hudsonicus,  307,  309. 

dakotensis,  308,  309. 
gynmicus,  308,  309. 
loquai,  308,  309. 
mmnesota,  308,  309. 
petulans,  308,  309. 
richardsoni,  308,  309. 
streatori,  308,  309. 
vancouveiensis,  30! 
309. 
"  ventoniin,  308,  309. 

quadnvittatus,  364. 


Synoptic  Index 


1259 


II 
II 
II 


Sdurus  sabrinus,  437. 

,"       »'."■»»»».  337- 

tndecemlineatus,  394. 
vulgaris  hudsonicus,  307 
Scnibgopher,  see  Ground-squirreli  Frank- 

Seganku  or  Skunk,  966. 
See-hah  Tang-kah  or  Caribou,  187 
5"'  ^"'^  " '  °°  ''""■™-'«"*  Vung, 

on  Snowshoe-rabbit  nesting  in  tree. 
631.  ^ 

Serotine  Bat,  see  Bat,  Big  Brown. 
Seton,  Grace  Gallatin. 

Antelope  photographs:    PI    XV    d 

n.".^L^^'P"s;  xx,p.«4:  '^• 

Blackbear  track,  1079. 
Contribution,  x. 
Fox  track,  711. 
Moose  head  (fig.),  ifc. 
Moose  size,  etc.,  144. 
Sha^ka-skan-da-way    or   Flying -squirrel, 

Sha-ka-skan-da-way-o  or  Flying-squirrel, 

Shakwashew  or  Mink  17a. 
Shang-gwes-se  or  Minit,  87a 
Sha-sha-ba  Wa-ba-coosh  or  Striped 

uround-squirrel,  394. 
Shaw,  A.,  pet  Mule-deer,  ia8 
Shaw,  Dr.  F.  W.,  Buffalo  in  Manitoba. 

Sh.«rd,  W.  F.,  remarkable  Caril«u  «tlen 
(fig).  194. 

laige  Moose  antlera  (fig.),  161 

on  locked  Moose  antlera,  t6s 
Shee-gawk  or  Skunk,  966. 
Shields,  G.  O.,  on  weight  of  Grizzly,  103a 
Shmg-gwus  or  Long-tailed  WeaseL  86s 
Shmg-gwus  or  Weasel,  840. 
Shing-gwus-ance  or  Least  Weasel,  858. 

f k'TV^u  \?'^'  ^"^  ^y  Wolves,  89. 
Shoal  Lake,  Manitoba,  id 

Short-tailed  Shrew,  see  Mole-shrew,  me 

Weasel,  840. 

Shrew,  Bkck  and  White,  see  Shrew,  Marah 

Sftrew,  Common  or  Masked,  PI.  C 

biography,  nam^j,  mask  (fig.),  logi- 
skull  compared  with  skull  of  Mi-' 
crotus  (figs.),  109a;  teeth  of  aU  our 


1260        Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 


Long-tailed  Shrews  (figs.),  genus 
Sorex,  1093;  size,  weight,  colour, 
races,  1094  j  life-history,  range, 
iog6;  Range  Map  57,  1095;  in- 
dividual range,  migration,  environ- 
ment, 1096;  numbers,  voice,  1097; 
sociability,  den,  mating,  1098; 
habits,  1 100;  enemies,  iioa;  in- 
cident of  hollow  tree,  1103;  food, 
1 104. 

Shrew,  Cooper,  see  Shrew,  Common. 

Shrew,  Hoy,  PI.  C,  p.  1096. 

biography,  names,  size,  colour,  1109; 
teeth  (figs.),  1093;  races,  range, 
I  III;  Range  Map  59,  11 10;  habiti, 
till. 

Shrew,  Marsh,  PI.  C,  1096. 

biography,  names,  size,  colour,  itia; 
teeth  (figs.),  1093;  races,  life- 
history,  range,  11 14;  Range  Map 
60, 1 113;  environment,  habits,  1114; 
compare  with  Crossopus,  11 15. 

Shrew,  Masked,  see  Common  Shrew. 
"       Pigmy,  see  Shrew,  Hoy. 

Shrew,  Richardson,  PI.  C,  p.  1096. 

biography,  names,  size,  colour,  1106; 
teeth  (figs.),  1093;  life-history, 
range,  iio6;  Range  Map  58,  1107; 
environment,  skull  (fig.),  its  Euro- 
pean congener,  1108. 

Shrew,  Water,  see  Shrew,  Marsh. 

Shufeldt,  Dr.  R.  W.,  on  food  habits  of  Big 
Brown-bat,  1180. 

Shull,  A.  F.,  on  food  of  Meadow-mouse, 

S»7- 
food  of  Mole-shrew,  1128. 
hearing  of  Mole-shrew,  11 39. 
on  nest  of  Mole-shrew,  1122. 
on  stomach  contents  of  Mole-shrew, 
1125. 
Shung-ka-ge-lah  or  Red-fox,  706. 
Shung-ka     Mah-nee-tee     or    Gray-wolf, 

749- 
Siffleur  or  Woodchuck,  416. 
Silver-haired  Bat,  see  Bat,  Silvery. 
Silver-tip  or  Grizzly-bear,  1030. 
Silvery-bat,  see  Bat,  Silvery. 
Sink-pay-lah  or  Muskrat,  538. 
Skay-cha  Tung-ka  or  Wolverine,  945. 
Skinner,  H.  W.,  on  stampede  of  Antelope, 

318. 
on  dance  of  Elk,  53. 


Skinner,  N.   E.,  on  colour  variation  of 
Blackbear,  1054. 
on  breeding  Foxes,  717,  741. 
Skinner,  N.  W.,  on  Moose  in  Colorado, 

149. 
Skulls  figured: 
Blarina,  11 17. 
Condylura,  1137. 
Lasionycteris,  1167. 
Mephitis  hudsonica,  facing  968. 
Microtus  pennsyivanicus,  1093. 
Mustela  americana,  facing  968. 
Onychomys,  484. 
Putorius  cicognanii,  846. 
"         longicauda,  867. 
"         rixosus,  859. 
Sorex  personatus,  1093. 
"     richardaoni,  1108. 
Ursus  americanus,  facing  1054. 
Zapus,  587. 
Skunkbea.',  see  Wolverine. 
Skunk,  Blacktailed,  see  Northern  Skunk. 

"       Canada,  968. 
Skunk-farming,  990. 

Skunk,  Hudsonian,  see  Skunk,  Northern. 
Skunk,  Northern  or  Hudsonian,  PI. 
LXXX,  p.  968;  LXXXII,  p.  976; 
LXXXIII,  p.  984;  LXXX\',  p.  1008. 
biography,  names,  966;  paws  'fig.), 
size,  967;  weight,  colour,  kin,  968; 
head  of  (fig.),  life-history,  range, 
969;  Range  Map  53,  971;  home- 
Tanf>e,  abundance,  970;  sociability, 
voiLe,  etc.,  pairing,  973;  dens, 
young,  973;  mother's  devotion, 
young  Skunk  (fig.),  974;  mastology 
(fig),  975 ;  'he  weapon,  976;  anal 
scent-gland  (fig.),  offensiveness  of 
musk,  habits,  977;  Skunk  and  cat, 
978;  ino£Fensiveness,  979;  as  pets, 
980^3;  disarming,  981;  fightug, 
983;  slightly  aquatic,  984;  food,  985; 
scatology,  PI.  LXXXV,  p.  1008; 
trapping,  how  to  kill,  enemies,  986; 
tracks  (fig.),  987;  disease,  strange 
in.stanre,  988;  flesh,  fur,  Poland's 
lists,  989;  Skunk-farming,  990; 
feeding,  how  much,  starting,  man- 
agement, 991 ;  the  smell-gun  mar- 
keting, general  hints,  993;  profits, 

903- 
Skunk,  Puget  Sound,  969. 


SnUth.  H.  G,  00  biid-cdng  by  SMnad 
Ground-«quinel,  405         '    '    "'**' 
Snawhoe-mbbit,  m  Rabbit,  Snowhoe. 
Sociable  w.  gregarioM,  a8. 

5«J».  Antonio  de.  on  Montewma'i  Men.*, 
ene,  251.  -"«« 

&ng.|tee-na  or  Red-foj,  706 
Song-toke-cha  or  Coyote,  789. 

araneua,  no8. 
brevicaudus,  1116. 
cristatui,  1 136. 
hoyi,  1109. 
palustris,  iiij. 

perwnatM,  ,091,  .09a,  ,093,  1094, 
1095. 
streatori,  1094, 1095. 
arctKua,  1094,  1095. 
madx,  1094,  1095. 

SuntT^dX^^-"^^'^^^ 

Sou™  domestique  or  Mouse,  480 
Southwick.  Prof    V    n 

D^  J-     «        ■  °'  ""  contents  of 

Red-squirrel's  nest,  33a-»4 

of  Anielope  and  other  animals,  a3i- 

Speed  table  for  pnune  animals,  233,  800. 
Antelope,  a33,  809.     ^    ^  ** 
^yote,  833,  809. 
1°^  '33,  809. 
Foxhound,  333,  809. 
Greyhound,  233,  809. 
Horae,  333,  809. 

on  weaning  of  Caribou  calf,  30s 
on  paternal  instinct  of  Lynx.  68, 
on  young  Lynxes,  684. 
on  Marten  mating,  91a. 


Synoptic  Index 


1861 


Spencer,  Miles  (CoiUintud). 
on  young  Marten,  913. 
on  pairing  of  Muskiat,  544 
on  autumn  pairing  of  Skunks.  07. 
on  Otter  family  life,  8,3  " 

on  pairing  of  Wolverine,  940 
on  pairing  of  Wolves,  7*7 
on  young  Wolvrs,  763 

''^srK'„^srn^-''«''-«--d. 

S,*™^hi,e,  Hood,  see  Ground*,uinel. 

S™^?"*'  ^'"P^-  •"  Ground^uirrel, 
'':Sfs't?p2""-'*'-^.-G,ound- 
Sq^oton  or  Squenaton,  or  Antelope. 
Squirrel,  Douglas,  308,  309. 

Flying,  see  Flying-squirrel. 
Fremont,  308,  309. 
Ground,  see  Ground-squirrel. 
Ked,  see  Red-squirrel. 
Striped,  see  Chipmunk. 
Stench  of  Weasels,  84c  80,  0,, 
Steppes  of  PreiriS,  25.^^' '"• 
f|'^"«'  Maurice  P.,  on  fox-farming  ,.t 

st5rvJ.-.t-tL"Sk'&, 

Stone  and  Cram  on  Sunday  roost  of  Bats, 
on  Bat  toilet,  1160 

tr^'ar?'"    "••   -  "-•-"  »' 

on  Elk  pugnacity,  63. 

on  size  of  Moose,  145 
ShMge  inddents  in  general,  34. 
St««or,  Clark  P..  on  owl  X  Gopher, 

'"SmJn'!'""'"'"'"''  ""  ^'">"»»k. 
Sub-fauna,  defined,  14. 

Alleghanian,  Eastern,  17. 


l«6«        Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 


Sub-fauiuk,  Alleghwiitn,  Wettem,  17. 

"         Campeitriui,  Okanagan,  17. 

"  "  True,  17. 

"         Canadian,  Rocky  Mt,  16. 

"  "        True,  16. 

"         Hudsonian,  Labrador,  15. 

«  "        Nt  'oundland,  15. 

"  "        Sub-A  ,^ine,  15. 

"  "        True,  15. 

"  "        Yukon,  15. 

Sub-faunal  map,  18. 
Suidde,  animal,  3a. 

SuiiK  le  petit  or  Little  Chipmunk,  364. 
Suine  or  Chipmunk,  337. 
Sullivan,  M.,  Buffalo  census.  300. 
Surface,  Prof.  H.  A.,  on  f.-eak  Muskrat, 

557- 
Swift,  see  Kit-fox. 
S]maptomys  (genus),  516,  558. 
"  andenoni,  559. 

botealis,  558,  559. 
"        daUi,  559,  560. 
"  chapmani,  559. 

"  cooped,  559- 

"  innuitus,  559. 

"  "        mcdiozimus,  559. 

"  sphagnicola,  559. 

"  wiangeli,  559. 


'TpACHT,  Akcbbishop,  on  Wolf  endur- 
*      ance,  752,  779. 

Taghn-kay-ha  or  Kit-fox,  700. 

Tah-chah  or  Mule-deer,  1:4. 

Tah-cha-chus-cheen-ah  or  Antelope,  309. 

Tah-chah  Tseen-Uy-«kah  or  Whitetailed 
Deer,  68. 

Tah-heen-cha-lati  or  Whitetailed  Deer, 
68. 

Tah-heen-cha-san-la  or  Antelope,  309. 

Tah-hen-cha-la  or  Mule-deer,  114. 

Tahg-chah  or  Moose,  144. 

Tah  or  Moose,  144. 

Tah-sen-a  A-das-ka  or  Striped  Ground- 
squirrel,  394. 

Tah-tank-ka  Coh-wah-pee  or  Buffalo,  947. 

Tah-tank-kah  or  Buffalo,  347. 

Tash-nab-bay-ah-lah  or  Striped  Ground- 

-  .uinel,  394- 
Tash-nah-hay-ho-tah    or    Richardson 

Ground-squinel,  380. 
Talpidx  or  Mole  Family,  1136. 


Talcott,  F.,  on  hornless  buck  Caribou,  193. 
on  Moose  bell  changing,  163. 
on  Moose  calling,  173. 
Tamias  (genus),  337,  356,  364. 

"      quadrivitutus  neglectus,  364. 
"      strUtus,  338. 
"  "       griseus,  338. 

"       lysteri,  338. 
"  "       venustus,  338. 

Tanner,  John,  on  Beaver  epidemic,  47*- 
Tape-worm  in  Deer,  Virginian,  90-91. 
"  in  Mule-deer,  136-137. 

"  in  Porcupine,  619. 

"  in  Prairie-hare,  670-671. 

"  in  Snowshoe-rabbit,  647-648. 

Taupe  musaraigne  or  Mole-shrew,  11 16. 
Taupe  du  Canada  or  Star-nosed  Mole, 

1136. 
Taxidea  (genus),  995. 

taxua,  995,  996,  997. 
"  "      neglecta,  996-997- 

"  "      berlandieri,  996M997. 

"  "      infusca,  996-997. 

Tcha-pa  or  Beaver,  447. 
Tel-chu-say  or  Mink,  87a. 
Tel-ky-lay  or  Common  Weasel,  840. 
Tel-ky-lay-az-zy  or  Least  Weasel,  858. 
Teller,  Senator  H.   M.,  introduction  of 

Reindeer  into  Alaska,  ao6. 
Temama^ame  or  Antelope,  3I3. 
Temperature,  Importance  in  Life  Distribu- 
tion, II. 
Ten-nee  or  Moose,  144. 
Teuthlalma9ame  or  Antelope,  aia. 
Tha  or  Marten,  901. 
Tha-cho  or  Fisher,  936. 
Thal-coo-zay  or  Littie  Chipmunk,  364. 
Thayer,  Abbott  H.,  on  Skunk's   livery, 

973. 
Thee  or  Porcupine,  605. 
Thee<hin  Nok-ky-ay  or  Flying«]uirrel, 

437- 
Thel-lee-cho  or  Woodchuck,  416. 
Thomas,  A.  H.,  on  weight  of  Whitetailed 

Deer,  70. 
Thomas,  C,    on    Jack-rabbit    doubling 

back,  668. 
Thompson,  Frank  T.,  on  development  of 

young  Blackbeats,  1069. 
Thompson,   Lewis   S.,   freak   antleis   of 

Mule-deer  (fig.),  I30. 
large  Wapiti  head  (fig.),  58,  59. 


«»  F-  Pnirte-lure,  669. 

Tlwmp*,^.   ,Vill  H.,  on  Cottonuil  ud 

Skunk  fight,  988. 
Thomomyi  (genui),  56a. 

;;  botUB,  S65,  57,,  575. 

foHor,  561,  57,,  57J. 
monticola,  57,,  575. 
Ulpoides,  561,  563. 
Tu      1.         ^  "         ™fe»cen»,  56a,  561. 
Thombuor,  D.  A.,  on  lubju  of  Wolve. 
758-76a. 

Titcoinb   John  W,  on  weight  of  White- 
uiled  Deer,  70. 
on  antlen  of  Whitetmiled  Deer,  80 
on  weight  of  fawni,  98. 
on  shedding  of  antlen,  101. 
Townaend,  J.  K.,  on  ipeed  of  Grizzly 
1047.  '• 

Tracks,  figured: 
Antelope,  an. 
Blackbear,  1079,  1085. 
Bear,  Kadiak,  1085. 
Caribou,  aoo. 
Cat,  687. 
Coyote,  799. 
Chipmunk,  Little,  366. 
Deermouse,  495. 
Deer,  Whitetailed,  95. 
Elk,  facing  50. 
Fisher,  937. 
Fox,  711,  719,  7,8. 

Grasshopper-mouse,  489. 
Marten,  917. 
Mink,  887. 

Mole-shiew,  iiao,  iiar. 
Moose,  facing  178. 
Mule-deer,  139. 
Muskrat,  551. 
Otter,  83a. 

Fig.  9S- 

Praiiie-hare,  666. 
Raccoon,  ioa4,  1037. 
Red-squirrel,  319. 
Sheep,  95. 
Skunk,  987. 
Snowshoe-rabbit,  634. 
Weasel,  Longtailed,  871. 
Wolf,  777. 
Wolverine,  963. 
Woodchuck,  43a. 


Synoptic  Index 


1288 

Twining  of  young  animals  by  ptreats,  yt, 

Blackbear,  1069. 
Fox,  7ao,  7aa. 
Lynx,  685. 
Marten,  913. 
Otter,  8a3-8a4. 
Wolf,  764. 
Transition  Zone,  19,  ao,  si. 
Tree-bat,  .see  Bat,  Red. 
Treelessness  of  Plains,  n. 
Tree-mouse,  see  Deermouse,  Arwfc. 
Troueasart,  Dr.  E.,  on  parturition  of  Ve^ 

pertilio  murinus,  1153. 
True,  F.  W.,  on  range  of  Star-noted  Mole. 
"37  ^ 

Tsa  or  Beaver,  447. 
Tsink-pay  or  Muskrat,  538. 
Tulloch,  A.  L.,  ao-point  WapiU  (fig.),  57, 

Turner,  J.  P.,  38.inch  Moose  bell  (fi») 

163.  ^"B-/. 

Turtle  Mountain,  formations,  4;  height,  9. 

lurtle  Mountam  Snowshoe-rmbbit.  da* 

653-  " 

Tweddell,  Wm.  G.,  on  Moose  monogamy, 

on  Moose  and  telegraph  wire,  i8a. 

on  peeto  mongsons,  18a. 

on  Raccoon  near  Shoal  Lake   1014. 

on  Rabbit  ;ears,  641. 

on  medicine  Rabbit,  651. 
Twilight  at  Toronto,  duration  of.  117. 
Tyndall,  Prof.  John,  on  sound,  xrcx     ' 
Type  localities,  a6. 

IJNCHUCK  or  Otter,  817. 

UrBid«  or  Bear  family,  1030. 
Uraon,  see  Porcupine. 
Urjus  (genus),  1030. 
Unus  americanus,  105a,  1055,  "57. 

."        ""ifrontalis,  1055,  ,057. 
cariottas,  1055,  1057. 
„  „        eramonsi,  1055,  1057. 

«  „        «'«"''«»,  1055,  1057. 

..        flon'i""".  loss,  1057. 
^  __        hylodromus,  1055,  »S7. 

„  „        'uteolus,  105s,  X0S7. 

«  „        nwchetes,  1055,  1057. 

„      .  ,,.         soniboiigeri,  1055,  1057. 
dalli,  1035. 

gyas,  1035. 


Kfl*       Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 


i 


Umu  rulophut,  1035. 

borribilii,  lojo,  1034,  1035. 

"         alaKcnsU,  1034,  1035. 

"         califumicui,  1034,  1035. 

"        horriteus,  1034,  1035. 
phieonyi,  1034,  103s. 
kenaicnsU,  1035. 
kennodei,  1055,  1057. 
kidderi,  1035. 
liuciM,  945. 
nwritimiu,  1035. 
middendorfli,  1035. 
richardioni,  1035. 
titkensis,  1035. 
taxu«,  9Q5. 

■yANDERBlIRGH,  Maiy,  on  Mink- 
'       rat,  54a. 

Van  Dyke,  T.  S.,  on  Antelope  going  with- 
out drink,  aj5. 
Varying-harc,  lee  Rabbit,  Snowshue. 
Vespertila  fuscus,  1177. 
Vespcrtilionida;  (Family),  1147. 
Vcspeitilioninx  (Sub-family),  1147. 
Vespertilio  borealis,  1183. 
"         cinereus,  iiqi. 
"  lucifugus,  1 147. 

"  murinus,  parturition,  1153. 

"  noctivagans,  1166. 

"         subulatus,  1163. 
Vices  of  animals,  31. 
Virden  Wolf,  775. 
Vison  or  Minx,  see  Mink. 
Vole,  Drummond,  or  Meadow-mouse,  PI. 
XXXIX,  p.  506;  XLV,  p.  6sJ. 
biography,  names,  515;  kin,  516-517; 
portrJt    (fig.^,    518;     characters, 
teeth  (fig.),  colour,  -he,  519;   foot 
(fig.),  520;    mastology  (fig),  5*7; 
races,  -30,  life-hi'-'ory,  range,  521; 
Range  Viap  29,  yy,  environment, 
521;  hon-e-range,  abundance,  s^'i 
midd-n  heap  (figs.),  544,  525;  sca- 
tology,  PI.  XLV,  p.  65a;  socLbil- 
ity,  5J4;  intercommunication,  585; 
smell-glands,    518-5*5;     burrows, 
sanitation,     535;     nests,    mating, 
young,  $16;  not  diurnal,  food,  527; 
Storage,  parasitism,  enemies,  birds. 
Leasts,  reptiles,  538;  cuterebra,  non- 
hibemant,   531;   relation  to  man, 
communism,  533. 


Vc*e,    Little,   Gray,   or   Little   Mcwlow- 

mouse,  PI.  XXXIX,  p.  506. 
biography,  names,  teeth  (fig),  iIm, 
533;     colour,    life-history,    range, 
534;  Range  Map  30,  535;  en. iron 
ment,  abundance,  home-range,  mat- 
ing. 534;   breeding,  young,  habits, 
etc.,  536;  food,  panuiles,  cutetvbra, 
generalities,  537. 
Vole,  Upland,  see  Vole,  Little. 
Vreeland,  Tn.  !(.,  on  size  of  Mooae,  145. 
Vulpet  (genus),  706. 

"       abietorum,  708. 

"       alascensis,  708. 

"       ar»ipus,  703. 

"       bant;.<ti,  708. 

"       cascadensis,  708. 

"       deletrix,  708. 

"       fulvus,  708,  709. 

"       harrimani,  708. 

"       kenaiensis,  708. 

"       macrotis,  703. 

"       macrourus,  708. 

"       muticus,  703. 

"       necator,  708. 

"       neomexicanus,  703. 

"        regalis,  706,  708. 

"       rubricosa,  708. 

"       velox,  700,  703. 

"  "     hebcs,  701,  703. 

TITAB-AI-USH orWhitetailed  Deer, (V>. 
'*  Wah-be-gah-not-see  or  Meadow- 
mouse,  515. 

Wah-be-jay-she  or  Marten,  901. 

Wah-boos  or  Snowshoe-rabbit,  631. 

Wah<husk  or  Muskrat,  538. 

Wah -conic -seach  Sapa  or  Blackbear, 
1053. 

Wah-gush  or  Red-fox,  706. 

Wah-hin-hay-yah  or  Pocket-gopher,  561. 

Wah-jusk  or  Muskrat,  538. 

Wah-kus  or  Red-fox,  706. 

Wah-pe-stan  or  Marten,  901. 

Wah-poos  or  Snowshoe-rabbit,  631. 

Wah-sesk  or  Muskrat,  538. 

Wah-wah-be-gah-not-see  or  Meadow- 
mouse,  515. 

Walsh,  Euward,  on  young  Blackbears, 
1068. 

Walker,  Dr.  H.  F.,  on  absence  of  earth- 
worms, 579. 


WjJker,  Dr.  ;«„..  r..  ^  WhitJ  Wolf. 

W.l«on.A.  Y.,onD«,di.e«,.o, 
on  voice  of  Deer,  86 

on  hWinKptace  of  f,w„,,  pg 
W.Jon.^M.A..o„Oe.r«,,if^„^^^ 

Wapiti,  origin  of  the  word  40  41 

itp^'^V'^-'T-P'-'Vo'l: 

biography,  37;  nAma,  37,  40  4,- 
family  ch.nicte«,77;  tX  ^'■ 
di.kof(,ig.).7or4'3irw'ei£ 
colour,  39J  race.,  histonr,  40;  We- 
htaory.  range.  ^,.   R«Je  Map  J, 

PI  XIII,  ao6;  track.,  R  lyT: 
spnng-time  young,  50;  waJl^,^' 
dMce,  mating,  5,;  leadenhlp,  54; 
•"^•^  SSi  (figs),  57:  ^i' 
h«d.  (fig,.),  cow  Elk  with  «,tle» 
^°g;i  50.  59;  autumn,  60:  freak 
•»"«.(%).  6,;  the;arcryVS 
pugnacity,  63;  the  batUe,  64:  the 
finish.  66  >  >^i    M« 

Wugatt,  C,  on  bear-traila,  1059. 
Waah.bearorRaccoon,i«4.    '^ 
Was-audt  or  Muakrat,  538 
Waterloo,  S.,  on  buck,  with  locked  antlen, 

Watoon.  W.  C,  on  Red.*,uir,el  .wimming, 

Wat-sujk  or  Muakrat,  538. 
Waweskeeshoo  or  Wapiti,  « 

Way-atch-a  or  Raccoon,  10,0 
oTi"  *;  ^"^    ^'»''  *^'«»'  of 

'':s,jr'*"'"-^««'.s''on- 

Wewel.  Britiri^  a  valuable  animal,  864 
^       Brown,  Me  Weasel,  Short-tailed. 
.,       p°™non,  we  Wea*l,  Short-tailed. 
Laige,  Ke  Weawl,  Long-tailed 


Synoptic  Index 


1265 


^JTiv»"''  "'  Mou.e-bunter.  PI 
LXXVII,  p  858. 

akuU  (fig),  race.,  life-hbtory,  range 
toh^  860;  food,  86.;  Indiw,  .uper- 

'i^'^BH^'X    B"!*^    co„A 
MJ.  Britiah,  hunu  in  pack*  value 
of  Britiah  Weawl,  864. 
Weajel,  Long-uiled,  or  Yellow-bellied 
biography,  name.,  ,ize,  colour,  86<- 
compared    with    kin.    life-hito^' 
"nge,  866;    Range  Map  47,  Sj! 
home- range,    866;     rtGlh    (fiV) 
population,  unwclable,  habiti  86r 
""~«1,  •"•cking  man,  killed  by 
bull-terrier,  870;   .tench,  track  fa 
anow  (.ketch),  871.      "^  "^  '^ 
Weawl,  New  York,  843. 

"        Scatology,  PI.  LXXXV,  p.  ,008 
Weawl,  Short-tailed,  Common  or  Sa- 
parte,  PI.  LXXVI,  p.  850 
biography,  we.  colour.  840;  change 

jwge.  843;  Range  Map  45,  84.! 
home-ran^  843;  r^pulatlon,  held' 
sL,  '  .^''  "'""c^We,  Britiah 
Stoat,  intercommunication,  voice. 
P>a|ing.845;dtull(fig,.),846;«a. 

•te,849;  food,  850;  blood  luat,  36, 
850;  .toiage  habit.  8sa;  coiI^e 

•peed,   853;    wrimming,   enemle.. 

854;  antic,  85s;  value  to  man,  8rt^ 

W««l.  Yellow-bellied,  we  Weaw^LSj: 

Wee-cha  or  Raccoon,  loio 
Weejack  or  Fiaher.  9.6. 
Wee-nee  Suk-ah  tip  or  Woodchuck,  416 
Wee-nu.k  or  Wuodchuck,  416.  * 

Wejack  or  Woodchuck,  4,6. 
Well^  B  J.,  on  eagle,  and  Antelope,  237 
on  Hai«  and  eagles  669.  ^'' 

W««l,  A.,  on  tape-wotm  in  Deer.T,  ^ 
Weto,m.ter,  Duke  of,  laige  Moow  antieia, 

Wheeler,  D.,  on  protective  colour^  84. 


1266        Life-histories  of  Northern  Animals 


Wheeler,  Dunham,  on  Fox  with  water- 
logged brush,  737. 
on  Fox  cub  with  broken  leg,  736. 

Whistler  or  Wcodchuck,  416. 

Whitcomb,  J.  H.,  on  Fox  habits,  715. 

White-footed   Prairie   Mouse,   see   Deer- 
mouse,  Prairie. 

White-jack,  see  Hare,  Prairie. 

White  or  Polar  Bear,  1035. 

White-rabbit,  see  Rabbit,  Snowshoe. 

Whitetailed  Deer,  see  Deer,  Virginian. 

White  Water  Lake,  10. 

White,  W.  F.,  of  Winnipeg,  remarkable 
Caribou  antlers  (fig.),  iQS- 
on  half  Wolves  aa  train-dogs,  780. 

White,  W.  H.,  on  Hare's  use  of  form,  660. 

White  Wolf,  of  Pine  Ridge,  775. 

Whitney,  J.  P.,  on  buck  attacking  man, 
107. 

Wilcox,  T.  E.,  on  absence  of  earthworms, 

579- 
Wild-cat,  Gray,  or  Canada  Lynx,  677. 

American  or  Bay-lynx,  678. 
Williams,  W.  S.,  on  home-range  of  Rac- 
coon, 1016, 
Wilmot,  Lew,  on  Coyote  bands,  795. 
Wilson,    Alexander,    on    Chipmunk   and 

peetweet,  354. 
Wilson,  E.,  of  Winnipeg,  on  Least  Weasel, 

86a. 
on  Red-bat  in  Manitoba,  1184. 
Wilson,  T.,  freak  antlers  of  Mule-deer 

(fig.),  123. 
Winnipeg  Wolf,  774. 
Winton,  G.  B.,  on  cactus  supplying  drink 

for  desert  animals,  336. 
Wolf,  Brush,  see  Coyote. 

"    Cased,  see  Coyote. 

"    chivalry,  776. 

"    Gray,  see  Gray-wolf. 

"    Lobo,  774. 
Wolf-lek  or  play-ground,  780. 
Wolf  of  Carberry,  775. 

"    of  Pine  Ridge,  775. 

"    of  Virden,  775. 
Wolf  of  Winnipeg,  774. 

"    Prairie,  see  Coyote. 

"    Timber,  see  Gray-wolf. 

"    track  (fig.),  777. 
Wolverine  as  a  misnomer  of  Lynx,  677. 
Wolverine,    Carcajou,    or    Glutton,    PI. 

LXXXV,  p.  1008. 


biography,  names,  945 ;  size,  weight, 
colour,  kinds,  life-history,  range, 
946;  Range  Map  51,  947;  indi- 
vidual range,  948;  mating,  nesting, 
gestation,  949;  young,  ferocity  of 
mother,  950;  habits,  951;  propensi- 
ty to  follow  trapper,  952;  difficulty 
of  trapping,  953;  endurance,  955 
stealing,  956;  explanation,  to  cir- 
cumvent, 957;  half-blind,  959; 
strength,  960;  fighting,  961;  cour 
age,  962;  food,  962,  964;  sea- 
tology,  PI.  LXXXV,  p.  1008 
tracks  (fig.),  963;  attacking  Moose 
964;  fur  returns,  value  of  fur,  965 

Wood  Buffalo,  350. 

Woodchuck,  Groundhog,  or  Canada  Mar- 
mot, PI.  XLV,  p.  652. 
biography,  names,  416;  size,  417; 
paws  (fig.),  mastology  (fig.),  432; 
colour,  418;  kin,  417;  races,  life- 
history,  range,  418;  Range  Map 
33,419;  in  Manitoba,  Map  33,  418; 
environment,  numbers,  home-range, 
430;  migration,  burrows,  421;  bur- 
rows (figs.),  433;  nest,  sanitation, 
434;  midden-heaps,  mating,  425; 
young,  426;  autumn,  437;  hiberna- 
tion, 437-438;  Woodchuck  day, 
spring-time,  439;  song  of,  all  hours, 
430;  on  ground,  431;  in  trees,  43». 
433;  tracks  (fig.),  432;  swimming, 
food,  433;  scatology  (PI.  XLV), 
653;  use  to  man,  434;  enemies, 
435;  his  hold  on  life,  436. 

Woodland  Caribou,  see  Caribou,  Wood- 
land. 

Woodmouse,  see  Deermouse,  Arctic. 

Wood-shock,  see  Woodchuck. 

Wood-vole,  see  Vole,  Red-backed. 

Wright,  Gordon  MacNeil,  on  Wolves  kill- 
ing a  Deer,  755. 

Wright,  W.  H.,  on  home-range  of  Grizzly, 
1038. 
on  denning  of  Grizzly,  1046. 

Wuerpel,  E.  H.,  on  Antelope,  etc.,  going 
without  drink,  336. 

Y" ARROW,  Dr.  H.  C,  on  Moose  in 
^      Colorado,  149. 

on  Red-bat  as  house  Bat,  1189. 
Vearian,  Beth,  on  young  Bear,  1073. 


^tS,?'*"'  **  Grou„d-«,u,n*|,  Rich- 

Yis-pay-na  or  Deennouse,  490 

Vo^g.  Ge„.S.B.M..  on  ,o„g  Beaver 

2APUS  (genus).  ...7. 

Zapus  hudsc  n,s   ^37,  s'S,, 
Zapus  hudsonius    .a.c.  r.«,  588,  58^, 
mt- van-is,  538,  5,  9. 

.<  ,  ^4. 

„      .    .    '.         ^^'^^  588,  589. 
insignis,  589. 

major,  589. 


Synoptic  Index 


1267 


Zapus  nevadensis,  589. 
orarius,  589. 
pacificus,  589. 
princeps,  589,  593. 
minor,  589. 

oregonus,  580. 
saltator,  589. 
tenellus,  589. 
trinotatus,  589. 

aUeni,  589. 

Zee^haorRed-s^rrlira^/^"'- 
Zone,  Austral,  19,  so. 

Boreal,  17,  19. 

Transition,  19,  ao. 


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